


The Glitch Alchemist

by SilentJo



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2014-01-27
Packaged: 2018-01-01 19:50:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 43,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1047891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentJo/pseuds/SilentJo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the battle with Father, Ed finds himself sent through an artificial Portal of Truth, where a parallel world much like his own exists. He meets Aura, who helps him find a way back home. When tragedy strikes, Edward is left with an important decision to make. A decision that will change not only Aura's life but his own as well...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Cafe

"There's more sorrow on your face than someone twice your age should have."

A worried voice said to a now attentive Edward Elric. He looked up to see a waitress for the outdoor cafe he claimed a seat from watching him. She was about his age, with light brown hair that was put up in a ponytail that fell past her shoulders, and light colored eyes that he couldn't identify as any one color.

"Are you okay? You look like you're lost, anything I can do to help?", she said cheerily, hoping her positive attitude could help cheer the young man up.

"Not unless you've got an inter-dimensional portal hidden back behind your coffee pots."

"An intra-what-a-ma-portal? Look, I don't know all that much about science, professor, but how about I bring you something to drink. Coffee, or maybe some ice cold milk or juice?"

"Blech, even here I'm getting the 'drink your milk' lectures...", Edward mumbled, getting defensive and crossing his arms.

"Well how about I bring you some soda and a few snacks, I'll be right back!", the waitress said as she went off to the cafe's kitchen.

Soon after she returned with a glass of soda, cookies, and a sandwich.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I don't think I have enough to pay for all of this...", Ed spoke while pushing his hands into his pockets.

"Don't worry about it, I just wanted to help make your day a little better, I know it's not my business, but I have a sixth sense when it comes to reading people's emotions, and you just reek of sadness. No offense of course!"

Ed stopped eating (he really did need the food after all), looking shocked and slightly embarrassed, "Well, looks like whatever sense you had was right, my name's Edward, by the way."

"Oh, silly me, all this chatter and you don't even know my name, it's nice to meet you Edward, my name is Aura, and it's no problem at all, I just enjoy helping people."

"Thanks, I kinda did need a little food for a pick-me-up after all. I hate to leave without paying anything though, is there anything I can do around here to help?" Edward said hopefully, thinking an odd job could help take his mind off of his current situation.

"AURA! GET OVER HERE NOW!" a gruff, stocky man yelled from the entrance of the cafe.

"Uh oh, I'll be right back, go ahead and finish your food." Aura walked back to where her boss now stood, obviously not amused that she had given away food again.

"How many times do I have to tell you Aura, if you give my food away, I don't make money, and if I don't make money, I don't pay you."

"I'm sorry sir, but he just looked like he could use some help."

"This isn't a homeless shelter Aura, it's a business, and I am tired of seeing my money being wasted because you have a soft spot for the needy. You can't go around trying to save every lost cause that wanders your way."

"Well if I don't help them, no one in this sorry town will! People are supposed to help those who need it, and then they can do the same for the people they meet."

"That's wishful thinking sweetheart, you're young but you'll find out soon enough that the world doesn't operate on the same high ideals you hold yourself to. Now who's gonna pay for what that little urchin ate? Are you gonna pay for it again?"

"HEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" said Ed, who was really trying to respect the privacy of their conversation until he was mentioned.

"Gee, he sure looks like he's going to pay back your kindness now, doesn't he Aura, smart mouthed brat!"

"Can't blame him for being angry, it's rude what you just said about him! Paying customer or not!"

"I've had about all I can take from both of you, get your stuff together Aura, you're fired!"

"That's fine with me! I'd appreciate it if you'd pay me the wages I've earned, since I don't intend on ever coming back to this dump after I walk out of here."

Aura's boss grumbled to himself as he got some money out of the register and counted out what Aura earned since her last payday.

"There, that's what you've earned, minus the cost of the meal you provided for your new 'friend' over there.", he said while handing her the money.

"Thanks, best of luck to you and your booming business!", she said cheerfully as she watched him grumble and walk back into the cafe.

"Whoa, did I just get you fired, Aura?" Edward said, worried but not sure why.

"Don't worry about it, that guy was a jerk from the day I started. Now let's spend this money the right way," she said with an evil smirk on her face.

...

Aura's former boss came back out to wait on the tables Aura had left behind, when he noticed his patio was empty. 

"I know I had at least 5 tables that ordered here?!", he looked around bewildered. Then he happened to look towards the rival coffee shop across the street and saw his customers, as well as Aura and that strange young man smiling and waving to him.

"What's the meaning of this?!", he yelled across the street, eyes glaring at Aura and the kid in the red coat.

"Well I figured I'd put the last bit of the money I earned from you to good use, I offered it to the people at your shop as an inconvenience fee of sorts for having to listen to all your grumpy and rude remarks. Then I brought them here for some good food and service!"

The words coming from her former boss' mouth were rather unintelligible by the time they made it across the street, and after a long satisfying sigh, Aura decided to get going. Edward was rather impressed with the way she handled the situation, but was still left with a twinge of guilt for being the cause of all the ruckus.

"So, where are you off to now? You heading home?" Aura asked Edward, who got that same worrisome look on his face once more.

"No, to be honest I don't really know where home is right now. It's a long story, but as far as I know, home isn't anywhere near here for me."

"Well, I know we just met and all, but if you want you can crash at my place, get some rest, and maybe check some maps or do some research on where you should go next. Give you a base of operations, so to speak."

"That would be great! I don't want to burden you too much though, so I'd only ask to stay long enough to figure out where I am and where I should go."

"It's no problem at all, it'll be nice to have good company for a while." said Aura as she opened up the door and let them into the house.

It was a modest family home, with room for a full family, not just one person. Strangely, there were no pictures displayed showing Aura or any of her family around the house. She showed him into the spare room and then went into the kitchen to make something to eat. As they finished eating, she told him that they can look up the information on her computer, and found it odd that he'd never even seen a computer before. They go into her room and look up information most of the night, until Ed finally falls asleep where he was sitting. Aura helped get him to bed and then goes into the living room to sleep.


	2. The Locked Door

A loud crash woke Ed as he heard Aura yell out in pain. He discovered the door locked from the outside, as well as a note saying "please don't make any noise, it'll only make it worse. I'll explain everything once he's gone." Ed then tried to hear what was going on as he tried to get through the door. He heard an older man talking to Aura, who sounded frightened of him.

"Why do you do this, Aura? After all I have to do for you, you always make me angry enough to hurt you!" said Lucien, who at nearly 6 feet tall, was towering over Aura, who had shrunk away from him and against the wall as his words and steps got closer.

"You never needed an excuse to hit me before, why start now?"

"You mouthy little bitch!" The unmistakable sound of a fist hitting skin screamed out through the house just as Aura yelled out again.

"If only you had died instead of your mother, at least she knew how to hold her tongue and behave like a woman should!" Lucien yelled, his cold gray eyes reflecting the cruelty of his words to Aura.

"At least there's one thing we can agree on, I wish my mother was here, if I could bring her back I would, no matter what it took!" Edward couldn't help but shudder at that statement, considering he had been in that same situation years ago, with tragic results.

"You should really be careful of what you wish for, Aura. Sometimes wishes come true, even if it isn't what you had intended. I think I've had enough of this tired old routine though, until next month, Aura..."

By the time Ed was able to break through the door, whoever hurt Aura had already left. She was just sitting on the floor against the wall, holding her shoulder, and staring off blankly with tears threatening to fall from her eyes at any moment. 

"What happened Aura, who did this to you?!"

It was all Aura could do to keep her composure, but at last she couldn't hold the tears back and started to sob heavily. Ed, obviously clueless on how to handle the crying girl, just sat there and tried to calm her down by telling her that she was safe now.

"Maybe now, but it'll happen again, it always does..." Aura said softly, with a tired look on her face. It was at that moment Ed realized what Aura had meant when she first spoke to him in the cafe. "There's more sorrow on your face than someone twice your age should have." She recognized Ed's sadness and sorrow because she also felt the same way. The look on her face showed a defeated weariness that spoke volumes more than she could out loud at the moment. 

"I don't know who that person was Aura, but I won't let him hurt you again. Now what's going on?"

Aura finally got her crying under control and was calm enough to speak. She then told him of her arrangement.

"That was my stepfather, Lucien. My mother married him a few years after my father left us. She started to get sick about three years ago, and she gradually got worse until she couldn't fight it anymore and died a little over a year ago. After her death, we found out in her will that she had left the house, her insurance money, practically everything to me. It was odd, considering Lucien should have been the one to receive them. He isn't exactly lacking in money, but for some reason he was really mad about her leaving everything to me. The catch however, is since I'm not of legal age yet, he still has to act as a guardian and manage the insurance checks that come in, as well as the household finances. So when the check comes in, he has to come here to get my signature so he can deposit it to pay the bills here."

"If he has to do all that, then why doesn't he live here. It seems odd that he'd go through all that for a house he's not even staying in."

"He was up until about six or seven months ago. He claimed that he had a lot of work to do at his lab and that he had his own living arrangements there, so he wouldn't have spent much time at home anyway. I never fully trusted him, and didn't believe that he really loved my mother. I'm surprised that he is following through on her wishes. But he is still angry about my mother's will, and apparently hurting me is a way to make himself feel better for being slighted by my mother." 

"What a rotten bastard..." Edward said, "so he shows up here once every month, gets you to sign the check, beats you up and leaves? Why hasn't anyone stopped him, have you told anybody?"

"It'd be his word against mine, and considering he has plenty of "friends in high places", he's made it clear that no one would believe me if I did say anything. He's gotten worse because he knows that once I turn 18 in 3 months, I won't need him to handle any of the finances anymore. I figure if I can just endure the next few months and make it to my birthday, I can be free of him for good."

"He has no right to hurt you like this! You're too nice to deserve this treatment. And why did you lock me in your room like that, I could have helped you! Why is there a lock on the outside anyway?"

"Because he would have flipped his lid if he had seen I had a guy sleeping in my room! He complains enough about having to pay for my living expenses, adding one more person to that would have pissed him off even more." Aura then lowered her voice and told him that the outer lock was put there by Lucien to punish her while he was still living there. "I'm sorry, but I had to lock it, it was the only way to keep things from getting out of control."

Edward heard that and decided that he should leave. "I should go, I don't want you to get hurt because of me if he catches me here."

"No! You haven't even gotten a good lead on where you need to go yet, you can't leave now! And he never shows up until the next check comes in, so you don't have anything to worry about. Please, I wouldn't feel right letting you leave without helping your situation just because you're worried about mine."

Edward thought about it for a moment, and came to a conclusion. "Okay, I'll stay on one condition. I want to teach you self-defense so that you can be prepared for the next time he decides to use you as a punching bag. Is that a deal?"

Aura smiled and through her teary eyes she shook her head in agreement and said "I help you with your problem, you help me with mine, sounds like an equivalent exchange to me." Ed couldn't help but be taken back by those words, which reminded him of something else he wanted to ask her.

"Aura, while I was locked in your room, I heard you say you wished you could bring your mom back. Did you mean that?"

"Of course I meant it! None of this would be happening if she were here. Even with Lucien around, my mom always made things better. Why would you even ask me that, I'm sure you'd do the same if you lost someone you loved!"

"It's a long story Aura, but trust me when I say that you don't want to take that road. It only leads to pain and suffering."

"Well Edward, I think it's time to share this long story of yours, because I have no idea what you're talking about."

And so, Ed shared his story, from the loss of his mother to his and Al's attempt at bringing her back through human transmutation. The losses he and his brother suffered and their journey to regain their bodies. She sat quietly as he described the fights he had with creatures called "Homunculi" who had managed to take over his country for some big event known as "The Promised Day". It was at that point Edward said that the during the final confrontation, the leader of the Homunculi known as Father opened up a portal and he had been forced into it. The other side ended up being her world, where she met him a short while later. 

"I'm not even sure if we won the fight against Father or not. I'm hoping that since your world is still here that mine is as well and that my brother Al and everyone fighting against them succeeded."

"Hopefully they did, it sounds like it was a pretty intense battle, I'm sure you must have hated being forced to leave it unfinished. Let me help you get back there, so you can find out what happened."

"So you believe that whole story, just like that?" Edward said, curious if she truly believed him.

"I can tell it's true from the way your eyes looked as you told it. They faded away like they were reminiscing on old memories. You can't fake that. So anyway, it's almost dawn, we should probably get some rest before we start researching tomorrow. I'll take you to the local library, they should have some helpful materials for us."

"Yeah, hopefully they will," Ed said, smiling and stretching as he stood up to go to the spare room. "And thanks again Aura, for everything."

She told him no problem, stretched and yawned herself as she made her way back to her room. Normally after one of Lucien's visits she'd have a hard time finding sleep, but feeling a sense of calm that she hadn't felt since her mother had passed, she drifted off to sleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow.


	3. The Library

"Slow down you idiot! You don't even know which way the library is!" said Aura, who was trying to catch up to Ed.

"I can't help it, I want to get started, I can't wait to learn more about your world's view of alchemy or whatever it's equivalent is." Ed yelled back as they approached a busy intersection.

Ed stepped off of the curb looking straight ahead when he felt someone yank him backwards by the hood of his coat. "Hey?! What's your prob..." and before he could finish his sentence a car sped past right where he would have been at that moment.

"You're going to end up a red splotch on the pavement if you don't chill out! I doubt you'll get much research done in that condition."

Still shaken by the close call with the car, Ed took a deep breath and agreed with her. "Yeah I know you're right, but I get so impatient when I feel like the next clue is right around the corner. Thanks for the save, by the way."

"No problem. I want you to find a way home just as much as you, but you can't rush into everything head-on. The lights green now, we should go. The library is right after this next block."

They arrived at a two story building and Edward looked rather underwhelmed. "I was expecting this place to be huge! How am I supposed to find any useful books in this tiny place?"

"It's small because most of the materials are on the network computers. The second floor has mostly books though. And this is a library of the sciences, so you won't have to wade through shelves of children's books to get to whatever subject you're looking for. Not that I understand why you'd rather have books instead of using the computers to look up the info you need." 

"Because I've never seen one of those machines before, I'd rather go with what I'm used to." said Ed as they entered the building.

"Why is it that you've never seen one exactly? I know you said the world you came from is similar, but they should at least be on the same technological path, right? I mean you make it sound you were living in the 1900's or something," Aura said with a laugh.

"1915, actually, you make it sound like that's odd or something." Ed said questioningly.

Aura stopped in her tracks, turned around and pulled Ed over to a secluded section of the lobby and said "did you say 1915? That's the year you were in before you came here?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" said Ed, clearly confused with her reaction at this point.

"Oh nothing, just the small detail of it being 2013 here..." Aura replied slowly, still trying to comprehend this new revelation.

"WHAT?! You mean I'm almost a hundred years in the future of a world that's supposed to be parallel to my own?"

"Shhh... We're in a library, keep your voice down! And yeah, that kinda sounds like what's happened, strange as it seems." 

Edward wasn't prepared for this and needed to sit down. A million thoughts raced through his head, involving his family and friends back home and whether or not they were still alive. Aura followed him and sat down next to him. "If this is the future, what happened to everyone I knew?"

"I don't know, we try to find some useful information to help you figure it out. Maybe there's a way to reverse whatever portal you were sent through and get back to your own original time. Don't let this get you down, let's keep moving forward."

"I've heard that before... But you're right, strange as this is, I have to find a way back. Let's go!" Ed said as he hopped up from his chair. Aura led him to where the books were kept on the second floor. Edward was amazed at their selection and began combing the shelves looking for any titles that caught his eye. Aura, not knowing what Edward was looking for, spent the time daydreaming and thinking about what Ed's life must have been like living in 1915. She wondered if they had cars, electricity, or even telephones. So many things that are taken for granted in her time, she thought. She was still distantly staring off when she heard Edward calling her name.

"Aura? Sorry for taking so long, but I found some books to read if you're ready to go." Her eyes met a stack of books that, if toppled over, could mean a trip to the emergency room for anyone unfortunate enough to be caught underneath them.

"You're kidding, right? You're going to read all of these books? I'm not even sure they'll let us borrow this many, much less the thought of how we're even supposed to get them all back home!"

"Well, I guess I could skim through them and pick out the ones that seem the most important," and so Ed began sorting through the stack and eventually ended up with a more manageable selection of books.

"Okay, and don't worry, we can always come back so just take note of the ones you're leaving behind so you can check them out later." Edward made a list and stuffed it into his pocket, then he helped carry the books to the main desk for Aura to check out. 

"I think I...really should have...borrowed fewer books...why can't you take some of these books and carry them Aura?" Edward said while struggling to catch his breath under the weight of all his new reading material.

"Because I need some way of slowing you down so you don't try to play in traffic again," Aura laughed as she took a few books off the top of the load while Edward rolled his eyes and sighed.

...

It had been five days since they'd gone to the library and it seemed that all Edward was doing was reading. She asked him to take a break several times, but he'd barely acknowledge her before going back to his books. Even when she got him to eat, he'd still bring a book with him. The one thing he would stop his research for however was to teach Aura to defend herself. He'd show her defensive moves, as well as counters to many holds and attacks that she may have to face, and then sparred with her so she could practice what she learned. She enjoyed these sessions because they seemed to be the only time she saw Edward enjoy himself without the weight of his situation pulling him down. 

When she went into his room to tell him dinner was ready, she found him nose-first in his current volume, softly snoring and blowing the pages of his notes back and forth with his breath. Laughing to herself, she covered him with a blanket and went off to the kitchen.

A visibly tired Edward appeared in the kitchen not long after, stretching and yawning with a book in hand as he sat at the table and started spooning food onto his plate. Aura smiled as she asked him how his research was going and asked if there was anything she could do to help him.

"Overall I haven't really learned anything useful yet. I've gotten a better understanding of this world's basic sciences, at least the ones that differ from what I'm used to. It seems that alchemy never truly evolved into the science I know it to be. There were some who believed in it's transmuting abilities, but for the most part it wasn't successfully performed." he said as he started to open the book.

"Do you really have to read while you eat? You're gonna get an upset stomach with the way you're shoveling food into your mouth. Wait, is that?" Aura paused and stared at the cover of the book. She recognized the authoring company's name, could it really be the same company her stepfather worked for?

"Hey Aura, what is it?" asked Edward, slightly more alert since Aura started staring at the book.

"I know who wrote that, it's the company my stepfather Lucien works for, Parker Labs. I recognize the logo." she told him as she pointed to the cover.

"Really... I borrowed this one because it had mention of theories on time travel. Is it possible that Lucien may be one of the people working on a project like that?" Edward was starting to get the gut feeling they had found a clue.

"I'm not sure, he never talked about work while he was at home or brought any notes with him, and I was never interested in what he did during the day, as long as he wasn't here I was happy to be honest."

"You know where this Parker Labs is located though, right? I'm thinking we should pay them a visit."

"Yeah... I do know where it's at." Aura said, her voice trailing off towards the end.

He felt a little bad not realizing at first how this discovery would make Aura feel. Her fear of her stepfather was still very real, despite how well she was learning self-defense. It was wrong of him to think she'd be okay with going with him.

"Oh well, you know Aura, you don't have to come with me if you don't feel comfortable going to that place. I know that he's the last person you'd want to run into and I don't want to put you in danger. I'll be fine on my own, just tell me where the lab is." 

"I'm going Ed, don't try to talk me out of it either. I can't keep hiding in a corner hoping he won't show up anymore. I told you I wanted to help you get home, and I want to be there to do just that." She sounded a little more self-assured than she did a moment ago, maybe the self-defense lessons were helping not only to keep her safe, but also to help her feel more confident as well. 

Edward was going to attempt to convince her to stay, but the look in her eyes, a fiery and determined glare, stopped him in his tracks. He conceded and watched as she ran off to her room to prepare for their mission to the lab. He had grown to appreciate her strong will when it came to things she set her mind to accomplish, and felt she could handle most anything that would come their way. But still... He worried about her when it came to her stepfather. If she had to face him, would she still have that same strong will, or would it break under the paralyzing fear he held over her?


	4. The Lab, Part One

Ed and Aura had decided to wait until dark to visit the lab, in the hopes that there would be little to no personnel still in the building. They walked up to the building and paused near the entrance, which was equipped with a keycard security system.

"You'd think I wouldn't have to keep breaking into labs, but somehow they keep showing up on my to-do lists..." said Edward, mostly to himself, seeing as Aura didn't quite get the inside joke.

"Well let me take care of the... hey wait, where are you going?" Aura watched as Edward started sprinting along the side of the building until he found what looked like a vent cover twenty or thirty feet up the wall. He effortlessly climbed up to the vent, then turned to face Aura.

"I'll sneak in through here and let you in, I'll be right back." Edward swung the cover open and shimmied in before she could even reply.

 _Man, he really does get impatient when he's on a mission_ , she thought to herself. She reached into the backpack she had prepared before they left her house and pulled out a keycard with the Parker Labs logo printed on it. If he had waited she could have told him about the card and he wouldn't have had to climb into that air vent. Once she saw him covered in dirt she would be sure to remind him of that fact and have a good laugh. She swiped the card and was greeted by a green light, she pulled open the door and slipped inside.

She looked at the keycard before she slipped it back into her bag and paused for a moment. She thought back to that day after the will had been read and how the house looked like it had been robbed when she got home. All her family pictures were flung off the walls, the frames broken with glass shards reflecting light over the floors. The pictures themselves were gone, ripped out of the frames from the look of it. The knick-knacks her mother had kept in a curio cabinet in the corner lay shattered beneath her feet. She followed the destruction from room to room, her anger building as she began to suspect her stepfather, who had left the lawyer's office in quite a rage after he found out that he was left nothing by his late wife. That card was one of the few things she had found among the ruins of her families memories that she could save.

She found herself shaking as her thoughts brought her back to the present. After all that's happened since the day she met Edward, and how much she had changed thanks to his self-defense training, the confidence she had gathered. How can she still be shaken by her stepfather? She figured some habits were hard to break as she continued down the corridor, sticking to the better lit areas so she wouldn't have to use her flashlight and attract any unwanted attention if she wasn't alone in the area.

A notification popped up on a computer in one of the upper offices once the keycard was swiped. Lucien had set up the security system to send such a message in the event that certain cards were used. He started looking at the security camera feeds to see who had entered his building at this time of night. To his own surprise he saw Aura wandering around the halls, heading towards the main lab. "I wonder what she's looking for, or if she even knows..." he said to himself as he stood up to go greet his stepdaughter. He left the room just as the next camera feed flashed on the screen showing Edward emerging from a ventilation grate.

"Dammit, why doesn't anyone ever get their air vents cleaned?!" whined Ed, wiping dirt and muck from his pants and shirt after he had exited the vents and stiffly stood up and stretched dramatically. He looked around for the front entrance but seemed to be further into the building than he expected. "Aww man, Aura's going to think I'm purposely keeping her out of the building, she's gonna be pissed off for sure now... But where's the entrance?" He followed a long row of cubicles and doors to separate offices and noticed one with the lights still on inside. Stepping inside and closing the door softly, he turned to look around the office when he stopped and stared at a familiar but unexpected face ducking behind the desk.

"Hohenheim?! What the hell are you doing here?!" yelled Ed as his father stood up to greet him.

"Well hello Edward, what a surprise to see you here! I thought I was the only one that was sent through that portal, how did you find this place?" he asked, a look of relief clearly showing on his face.

"I did some research, why are _you_ here?" said Edward, a sour note staining his voice. He hated to admit it, but he was glad to see his father. After all that had happened, it was good to see a reminder of home, even if his father had never been a part of it. This also strengthened his belief that they had found the right place.

"Well, it's a long story, but suffice it to say, this isn't my first time in this world. During my journey after leaving you boys, I had a run-in with the homunculus you know as Pride, quite some time ago. Father had been experimenting with portals and different dimensions, using the Portal of Truth as a basis. You are aware, I'm sure, of Gluttony being a failed attempt for a Portal of Truth. Unfortunately one of his experiments succeeded with Pride and as a result I was sent here. I knew I had to return as soon as possible to continue my plan to thwart the Promised Day, so I started doing research and found this lab, which was working on several different projects that I believed could lead to the travel I was seeking."

"Well then why did it just look like you were hiding behind the desk like you were afraid to be caught. If you worked here why would you be cowering behind furniture?"

Hohenheim led Edward out the door and down the hall. "Well, I started working with the scientist that had started the research. He had the right ideas, but the project really started to take off when I brought knowledge from our world and revamped it for this world's physics laws. The man I worked with was smart and could keep up with most of my theories. But he was also obsessed with his work, and I could see the evil he had in his heart and decided that once we were ready to start up the portal, it should never be used again, least of all by him. So I saw to it that only someone from our own country and time could activate it. It had taken several years, but once we had it all set up, I snuck in, hid or destroyed my research, removed anything that he could use to figure out how it worked, then started it and went back to Amestris. I imagine after ruining his chances of succeeding in his project he wouldn't be very happy to see me if our paths crossed again. I hadn't given it much thought since I had been able to return, but I suppose during our fight with Father, he must have remembered the dimensional portal and attacked with it."

"Does that mean there may be others that got sent here as well?" Edward said nervously, hoping his brother Alphonse and any of the others that had been fighting there managed to stay out of it's way.

"No I don't think so. From what I saw before it overtook me, it was only focused on a small area near me. You'll have to forgive me but I didn't notice you were in it's path as well."

"ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT I'M TOO MINISCULE TO BE NOTICED IN AN ALREADY MICROSCOPIC SPACE?!" Edward ranted as his father continued down the hallway, unfazed by his son's over-the-top behavior.

"Of course not son, I'm saying that I regret that you were pulled into this world when it looked like I was the only target. The array room is just down this corridor, I just have to make some adjustments in the control room above the chamber, then we should be able to activate it."

Ed followed along, realized that he finally had a way home. Excited as he was about returning, he couldn't help but feel sad for leaving Aura behind. There was so much more that he had wanted to do to help her out. And he especially wanted to give that jerk of a stepfather a dose of his own medicine courtesy of his auto-mail right hook. But he hoped that the time he spent teaching her self-defense would be enough to make her life better. Once he had helped his father get the device primed, he would make sure to go find her and thank her for everything.


	5. The Lab, Part Two

Aura continued down the hall until she met a heavy set of double doors. She pushed them open and found herself in a large room that almost seemed like a theater or arena, with offices and rooms on the floor above looking down into it. Some large pieces of machinery were placed around the room, but the center of the room featured a remarkable circular design etched into the floor. She wasn't sure what any of it meant, but she had a pretty good hunch that it was alchemy based on what Edward had shown her while he was doing his research.

"Ed, I hope you can find your way here soon, I think I just found your ride home!" she said to herself, pleased with the thought that she would be able to help him get back home. She then realized that once he was gone, she would be alone again, and a bittersweet feeling of excitement and dread rushed into her chest. The footsteps behind her got her attention as she turned and saw Lucien enter the room and greet her with a smile.

"You know, you're awfully early for 'Bring Your Step-Daughter To Work Day' Aura. To what do I owe your presence here? Did you really miss me _that much_ since my last visit?" said Lucien sarcastically as he walked up to Aura. She stood frozen in place, staring at the one person that could break her confidence in two if she allowed it. She then remembered what she had told Ed before they left for the lab. That she refused to hide in the corner from him anymore, and this helped to calm her once the initial shock of seeing her stepfather went away.

"Don't flatter yourself Lucien, you're the last person I'd actually waste time trying to find." she fired back at him, the tone in her voice raising Lucien's eyebrows, a look of surprise on his face from hearing her speak so fearlessly to him.

"That still doesn't explain why you're trespassing on this property, you little pest, there's nothing of interest for you here!" Lucien sounded rather defensive with that statement, which made Aura wonder if there really was something here he was trying to hide. And she decided to call him on it.

"That's funny, I think that's the first time I've heard you sound desperate since we found out what was written in Mom's will."

"That will was a joke!" he yelled out, losing his cool demeanor and started stalking towards Aura, who backed away from his advance. "I didn't give a damn about her money, or that wreck of a house. But she hid something very important from me, I know she did. I expected it to have been hidden away in a safety deposit box, or perhaps somewhere in that house, something like that. But no, apparently she had it in mind to defy me right to the very end, that bitch!"

"You watch the way you talk about my mother, you bastard!" Aura was now losing her cool, she never liked hearing the hateful and disparaging remarks he would make about her mother while she was alive. Hearing him speak so disrespectfully about her now just sent her over the edge. "So you were the one that wrecked the house out of spite after she died, then?"

"Of course, but it wasn't out of spite, no. I was looking for what your mother hid from me. Although I won't lie, it felt _really_ good to destroy those stupid trinkets and burn all those family photos."

"Why would she take anything from you, all she wanted was a happy and peaceful family. But you couldn't handle that, could you, you pathetic loser!"

"You two are really one and the same aren't you, maybe I should have taken care of both of you in one fell swoop!" He lashed out and swung at Aura, who blocked it using one of the moves Ed had shown her. The anger in her eyes as she met his gaze shook him and made him step back.

"So you think you can defend yourself now, huh? Let me tell you a little secret, then... Your mother thought she could defend herself as well, and look where it got her!" He then started to fight Aura, she defended herself well, even landed a few blows on Lucien during her advances. But at one point he had been knocked over to the side of one of the machines, she didn't see him pick up a metal rod leaning against it. Just as she went to attack him again he swung the rod and hit her on the right side of her face, and she collapsed to the floor.

"See, what did I tell you? You can't beat me Aura, all you're doing is pissing me off." He continued to beat her with the bar, hitting the floor a few times and bending the end of it to a jagged edge. He threw it down and continued hitting her, and kicked her in the face as he stood up straight. The side of her face and her right eye were a bloody mess, but she still tried to block his attacks, groaning with each hit that met it's target.

Finally, he grabbed her around the neck, and pulled her up close to his face. She was barely conscious, her vision blurred by all the blows to her head as well as the swelling of her right eye. "Now let me tell you something else, I had planned to do this a few months from now, but it seems you really did want that wish to be reunited with your mother to come true! Don't worry, I'll arrange the meeting shortly, but first, I just _have_ to share my little secret with you." He slapped her lightly a few times to make sure she was still able to understand what he was saying then continued.

"Remember when I said that your mother thought she could defend herself against me too? Well, I couldn't have her doing that, not with so much at stake. You see Aura, your mother didn't just die of a sickness... I killed her."

Life flashed back into Aura's eye as she heard this and spoke slowly and weakly, "No, that's not possible... She was sick, I watched her get weaker until she passed on in the hospital..."

"That's the beauty of it though, do you have any idea how many poisons there are in this world that resemble all kinds of diseases? All you have to do is mix a little of this, a little of that, and in the right doses you can easily make it look like someone is fading away from some normal sickness."

"No... it can't be true. How could you? She was your wife, my mother..." Aura feebly spoke, her head pounding as she tried to focus on what Lucien was telling her. Could it really be true? Did he really poison her mother and made it look like a sickness? What kind of evil monster was he...

"She was merely a pawn. A pawn that grew troublesome and had to be removed. But she was a stubborn one, right to the end. She fought the 'sickness' with all she had. When it came down to the end and she was in the hospital, I knew that I had to finish things before she could let anyone know of her suspicions of me. So one night, while you had left the room, I covered her face with one of her pillows and waited for her to drift off. She tried to struggle, but at that point she was so weak she only exhausted herself and made her life slip away that much faster."

Aura was in shock, she could tell her body was hurt, but in her mind she couldn't feel a thing. Lucien's grip around her neck grew tighter, and she started gasping for air. "You evil bastard!" she managed wheeze out as he continued to choke her.

"Well now, that's a rather rude thing to say to the person who's making your wish come true! You'll be with your mother again, like you wanted, and I'll have one less bitch in my way to ruin my plans. Do tell her I said hello now." His grip on her neck grew tighter, but the fury she felt upon hearing his confession fueled her more than anything ever had, and she screamed out and brought up her legs and kicked him off of her with violent force.

Lucien was flung back against one of the machines and sat there stunned for a moment. Aura stood up unsteadily, needing that moment to regain her balance. She then started fighting back, in a blind rage, beating him until he was the one cowering in a corner. Her breathing was erratic as she grabbed the mangled metal bar that he'd beaten her with and pulled him up by his shirt. She raised it high over her head. The pointed edge, glowing in the fluorescent light, was aimed at his chest.

She let out a wrathful scream as she started to bring the weapon down at him, when she felt someone grab her wrist.

"No Aura!" Edward cried out, stopping her just before she could bring her arm down to deliver the final blow to Lucien.


	6. The Lab, Part Three

"LET GO OF MY WRIST ED!" Aura yelled furiously, pulling against his grip to swing and stab at Lucien, but Edward held fast. "He doesn't deserve to live! Dammit Ed, he killed my mother! She deserves vengeance!" she struggled against Edward's grasp, but he wouldn't give in. Hearing what she said about her mother though, he was shocked and his heart felt heavy with sadness for Aura.

"Even so Aura, is this really the way you think your mother would have wanted this to go? She wouldn't have wanted you to be a murderer like he is! This isn't you Aura, that's not who you are!" Edward told her, trying to calm her down. He felt her arm trembling as he held it in place. "You told me that you wanted to help people, and you've done that for me. You have a good, strong heart Aura, don't let his darkness stain your hands, please."

Hearing Edward speak slowly brought Aura to her senses. She had felt so much built up anger and hatred, she couldn't control herself for that moment, when she had the bar up ready to kill the person who had taken so much from her. She was thankful that Edward was there to remind her that she was better than that. That she was better than _him_. Her breathing slowed, as she dropped the metal rod and let go of Lucien's shirt, who then fell to the floor in front of her. Edward moved between the two of them and held her by her shoulders and looked at her. He saw her face, and her eye and how it was cut badly and swollen shut, and his heart sank.

"We need to get you some help Aura, can you walk?" said Edward to her, and she looked at him and smiled.

"Yeah... don't worry, I'll be fine. But look, I think this is what you need... to get home." She pointed towards the array on the floor.

"Yeah it is, I met someone upstairs that can get it working, but right now I want to make sure you're taken care of, Aura, I can't leave you like this..." He had started to help walk her out, when suddenly he noticed her look at something behind him, over his shoulder.

"You...you're weak Aura, you should have killed me when you had the chance!" Lucien lunged towards Edward, aiming to plunge the metal bar into his back.

"NO!" screamed Aura, and she used all the strength she had left in her to grab Edward and turn him away from Lucien's path, shielding him. The sound of metal penetrating flesh left a sickening wet echo in Edward's mind as he watched over Aura's shoulder as Lucien sank the metal into her back before collapsing backwards to the ground.

It was Edward's turn to scream as he held Aura, who was hugging herself against him closely. He could feel her legs giving out from under her as she looked up at him weakly with tears forming in her good eye. "Get...home...Ed. They're waiting...for you there. Go..." Those last words didn't make it past her lips as she passed out in his arms. As she sank to the floor so did he, holding her close and begging her to wake up. He noticed that Lucien had gotten back up to his feet and was coming towards them. He put Aura down and went to fight him away.

Aura woke up to the sound of Edward and Lucien fighting somewhere behind her. She felt her face, blood coating her fingers. She had to make sure he got home. To her that was all that mattered in that moment. She pushed herself up and slowly started crawling forward, her arms reaching out and pulling her on. The wound in her back sending out waves of pain through her body as her hands left smears of blood along her path. She wasn't aware enough to notice it, but she had moved towards the center of the room, just outside the circle on the floor. _Just a little further. I can help him get home, just have to find the controls._ Her strength was fading quickly, each move exhausted her further. She reached out once more and landed her bloodied hands just inside the circle, and from there she couldn't move anymore.

The pattern on the floor started to glow, its color flashed a bright blue and white, which started sending up waves of color, swirling within the circular line along the floor. It grew more intense, creating a whirlwind that blew papers and debris around the room. Edward and Lucien had each frozen in place when they saw the light coming from the array.

"The portal, it's been activated?!" cried out Lucien, witnessing the event for the first time since he had started his research years before.

"Yeah, but how?! I thought it could only be activated by someone..." Edward said before noticing Lucien had begun his attack again and lunged out of the way. He landed a solid kick to the back of Lucien's head with his automail left leg. With Lucien stunned, Edward took the opportunity to grab him by the front of his shirt and pull him up towards his face. "This is for Aura! You deserve a lot more than this, you sick bastard!" Edward yelled as he socked Lucien in the face with his right arm. Lucien collapsed in a heap on the ground under the impact of Ed's metal fist. Once he knew Lucien was down for the count, he rushed over to Aura, who had been pushed back from the circle and against one of the structures surrounding it.

He turned her over and pulled her up into a seated position against him. She stirred and looked at him with a weak, watery gaze to her eye. "I told you... go home. You have to... get back to your family. Please... make it back... for me?" she said softly, pausing to catch her breath between words before fading out again.

"But how can I leave you like this? I can't do it... I won't do it! I won't lose another person I care for because of my problems!" Edward cried out. He watched as the portal he was all too familiar with open in the center of the room.

From the balcony above him, blocked from view by the machine behind him, he could hear Hohenheim yelling down to him "You have to go through it now Ed, there isn't much time!"

 _Oh no, what do I do? If I leave her here, Lucien will kill her for sure. But if I don't go, I may never get to go back home, like she wanted me to._ Thinking of her last words to him before she passed out, he knew what he had to do, but he had to move fast.

Ed looked at the portal, then back at Aura, and picked her up into his arms and started walking towards it. _I can't leave her here to die, not after all she's done for me. She saved my life more than once since I've been here, I can't let her suffer for it!_ His mind focused on the portal, he held her close and stepped into the circle, fighting the currents of air and light that were being emitted from it.

Hohenheim made it to the ground floor and entered the room. He found Lucien unconscious against some machinery back from the circle, and as he looked to the portal, he saw Edward moving into it. But wait, what was he carrying? It looked like a girl, not much older than Edward. And for a moment he wondered what was going on. A glimmer of recollection shone in his eyes as he got a closer look at the girl. Then, visibly shaken, he cried out to Edward.

"Aura! Wait... Ed!" Just as Ed got to the entrance of the portal, he thought he heard someone yelling out and turned to see his father yelling out from the edge of the room. The sound of the portal was overwhelming, but he thought he had heard Hohenheim calling out Aura's name. But how could that be? He had never even told Hohenheim that he had come here with anyone else. The thought soon left his mind as he started to feel himself being broken down by the portal. Holding Aura close, they stepped through the threshold and got lost in the darkness as the portal closed around them.


	7. The Gate (In Through the Out Door)

The noise of the portal faded quickly as it closed around them, and before he knew it he was standing in front of the Portal of Truth. But he saw two portals facing each other, like when he had found his brother Al's body at his own Gate. _Is this Aura's Gate? I didn't think she'd have one, not being from Amestris_ , he thought as he noticed Aura starting to awaken. She didn't seem very hindered by her injuries as she asked to be put down, but held her forehead and looked unbalanced as she stood on her own.

"Oww my head, it's aching real bad. Where are we? Are we still in the lab?" she said weakly, looking around at the massive expanse of white nothingness and staring in wonder at the doors that seemed to be floating in mid-air. She didn't feel very clear-headed, and all the brightness around her made her head hurt even more.

"Uhh.. well you see Aura... I had to bring you..." Edward was cut off by a voice he was all too familiar with.

"Well, it's been quite some time hasn't it, young Alchemist? Still trying to recover what you've lost? And who is this? I suppose you are not aware that two's a crowd here. Although... there is something very familiar about her..." Truth said casually. It was a ghostly image surrounded by a hazy black outline, with only the left leg and right arm made of actual flesh. Even without eyes, they could tell it was staring at Aura intensely. "Yes, very familiar indeed." it said with an air of realization in it's words.

"Look, we just want to get back to Amestris. We don't have any interest in learning about the Truth, especially her, you got that?! So just leave us alone and let us pass!" Edward spoke fiercely as he grabbed Aura's hand to bring her towards his Gate. Truth just watched them as he led her closer to the great door. Just before he reached it Truth spoke up again.

"Your toll has been paid by the girl, Alchemist, there's no further need for harsh words here." Truth put out his arm and gestured for them to continue on. Just as Edward got to the front of the door with Aura, it began to open up. What was behind the doors wasn't the eerie looking eye and black arm-like tendrils he knew before, but a hazy view looking down on what Ed could only assume was Amestris. _So it is possible to use the Gate as a portal between worlds_ he thought to himself as he began to walk through it.

"What is that Ed? How did we get here again, my head still hurts and it's too bright in here to see clearly!" Aura sounded nervous as she spoke, looking through this door that opened up and showed what looked like a normal town through a foggy lens. Did Edward succeed in finding his way home? Was she there to say goodbye?

"Just hold on to my hand Aura, don't let go!" Edward yelled to her as he started across the threshold. He felt a tug backward and as he looked back he saw that Truth had taken hold of Aura's left arm and held fast to her.

"Let go dammit, you said we could go!"

"You must have misheard me young Alchemist. I said _your_ toll has been paid. She has yet to pay hers." Truth said with a snake-like sound to his voice as it effortlessly pulled Aura out of Ed's grasp and forced him through the Gate. He frantically screamed out as he passed through, "don't show her anything! She never wanted to see the Truth, I was only trying to save her! Don't you dare hurt her you bastard!", his voice slowly trailed off as the Gate's doors closed.

"Now, now. You can't expect someone to come in through the "out" door and not pay a toll, can you?" Truth said with a hint of sarcasm as it let go of Aura's arm. The door Ed had just gone through vanished, the second door floated over to them in it's place. Then Truth changed, losing the arm and leg that it had shown on its transparent body before and morphing into a shape very similar to Aura. However, this version of the Truth seemed to have a purplish glow instead of the black outline the other had. "Besides, the door is now open, so take a look at what Truth really is, girl." The Gate opened up to reveal a large eye staring down at Aura. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. Just then, long black shadowed arms shot out of the darkness inside the doorway and wrapped themselves around Aura, dragging her towards the Gate.

"Wait! I don't know what's going on, but I don't want this! Please just let me go!" screamed Aura, making her headache worse with all the screaming. She tried grabbing onto the edge of the stone doors but the arms that pulled her were too strong to fight against. She watched as the doors closed in front of her, the last bit of that white expanse narrowing into darkness.

She felt herself moving through space, then saw what looked like film reels flying towards her. She felt the images and information these reels contained being forced into her brain. The pain was agonizing, it seemed to be a never-ending spiral of knowledge. She wasn't sure if she could take much more of this. Suddenly, she saw what appeared to be a purplish lightning bolt strike the images in front of her, the jagged lines of the bolt cut into the reels and ran down the entire length of the tape. The vortex she had been traveling through began to shine with that same purple lightning, cutting through the air, giving the sky the appearance of broken glass. She looked at her hands and saw that the bolts she had seen had originated from her own body. Her arms and legs started to flake away, just as she felt she was about to lose herself entirely, she found herself back in that bright white area with Truth.

"What is this?! What have you done?!" Truth spoke, clearly mystified at what had just occurred. Aura turned to look at the Gate and saw the stone doors were cracked, with lightning-shaped lines branching out along it's entire surface. A purple glow was being emitted from within that gave the door an eerie appearance.

"I...I have no idea, I just... my head hurts so much, and what I saw in there, it's just too much!" Aura fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands, shaking from what she had just encountered. She just wanted to go home. She wanted to be back in her normal boring life. And most of all, she didn't want to be alone anymore. She wanted Edward to be here with her, to help her understand what was happening.

"Ahh, I understand now, hehehe. This is all happening because of who you are! But now little one, it's time to pay for what you have seen. You're tired of being alone. Your arms always reaching out for someone to help give your life meaning. Your feet hesitant to move forward for fear of pain. Considering these things, the toll should be a striking reflection of that!"

Searing pain began to form in Aura's left arm, she watched as it started to disappear, unraveling itself before her eyes. It was then accompanied by similar pains in her right leg, just above the knee. She looked down to see her leg fading away as well. She heard what sounded like crackling and noticed that flesh had started to appear on this Truth's left arm and right leg, mirroring the limbs that she had just lost.

"I was only trying to help...Edward, this isn't..." Aura's voice faded away, and she felt herself falling down. She tried to brace herself with her arms, but collapsed on her left side since there was no arm there to catch her fall. The last view she saw before losing consciousness was Truth smiling down at her, waving goodbye with the arm that had belonged to her moments ago. "Time to go home now, little one."


	8. The Reunion in the Room

"Brother! Are you awake?"

 _That voice, it's so familiar..._ Ed slowly opened his eyes, blinked a few times to focus them and saw his brother Al looking over him.

"A...Al? Is that really you? Am I back home?" Edward said as he saw not the steel suit of armor that had housed his brother's soul, but the body he had seen from inside the Gate only last year. He looked healthier and much older than when he'd last seen him as a ten year old boy.

"Hehehe, of course brother, who else would you expect?" Al told him as he backed away to let Edward sit up in bed. "I hope I didn't disturb you but it looked like you were starting to wake up and I couldn't wait to find out what happened! It surprised everyone when we found you laid out on the road the other day, we brought you home as soon as we did."

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting to see you back in your body Al, I really wasn't sure what I'd find once I got back here. What happened after Hohenheim and I were sent through that portal? Is Father still a threat?"

"Oh no, he's gone. After you and Dad disappeared we all launched a massive attack that challenged the strength of Father's philosopher's stone significantly. Mustang managed to keep him encircled in a wall of fire to prevent him from casting out other portals while we sent attacks through. Greed stepped through the fire wall and fought him, but Father struck him down and tried to take his stone as fuel. Greed was destroyed, but not before he bonded with his Father and turned his body into the weakest form of carbon there is."

"Greed's gone? What about Ling, was he..." Edward was concerned, even if the guy was a pest at times, he was a good friend.

"Oh no, Greed managed to break free of Ling before they both were absorbed into Father. After that I managed to land a few punches and destroy Father's core. Just as he wasted away, my body called my soul back one last time. I knew the fight was over, so I let my soul and body become one again. I just knew that you were still alive though Ed, and I knew if that was true, you'd always fight to come back home. So I waited there at the Gate for you."

"But how did you get back home?"

"Mustang transmuted himself and used his own Gate as a toll to bring me back. He said that he no longer needed his Fire Alchemy, that for all the damage it had caused over the years, giving it up to start repairing the past was more than worth it. He brought me back and we both spent time in the hospital. I was released a few days ago, they wanted to make sure I had recovered enough to withstand walking and light stress before letting me run off again, hehehe. As far as I know he's still there with Hawkeye, and I only just glanced at them, but I could have sworn I saw Dr. Knox and Dr. Marcoh walking towards Mustang's room as I was leaving."

"Mustang did that for you... Dammit I should have been there! That was my burden to bear, getting your body back! I'm sorry I let you down brother, but I'm here now and I want to... Oh no, Aura!" Ed jumped up out of bed, suddenly remembered his last moments at the Gate before being pushed through it by Truth. Was Aura still there?

"Is that her name? The girl that we found near you?" Al seemed less happy now, as though remembering something awful.

"So she did make it? A young girl with brown hair and a backpack?" Ed was relieved to know she made it through.

"Yeah that's her, she's here but Winry and Granny still have her in surgery. She was in pretty bad shape when we found her."

"What do you mean Al?" She had a couple serious injuries, but Al made it sound like she was fighting for her life.

"She was missing her left arm and right leg, and had several serious wounds to her back and face. They managed to take care of those wounds but they're working to stop the bleeding from her missing limbs. They said that they can only do their best and hope it's enough." Al looked at Ed, who was visibly shaken.

Ed sunk to the floor, his back against the side of the bed. Truth had done this, he knew it. After he pleaded to not make her see it, Truth had shown her anyway, and took its toll. Al gave him a moment of silence as Ed gathered his thoughts.

"This was all my fault, how could I have not realized that this could happen by bringing her through the portal? How stupid and selfish of me, but no, at the time I truly believed it to be the only option to keep her alive. Because of that belief I can't bring myself to regret that decision, even with this as a result. I'll just have to live with this guilt and hope that she can forgive me one day."

"How did you end up meeting her Ed? Why is it you felt she had to come through the Gate to be saved?" Al asked his brother, curious what kind of connection Ed had with this girl.

"She saved my life Al, on more than one occasion. That wound on her back was meant for me, but she pulled me away and got hurt instead. Without her I wouldn't have made it home. It's a long story, but I suppose if we're waiting for Winry and Pinako to finish taking care of her, I have time to tell you."

Ed shared the story of his arrival in that other world, a world that was different from their own, and much further along in time as well. He told him about meeting Aura at the small outdoor cafe, being invited to stay at her house. He told him about the night her stepfather Lucien showed up and hurt Aura, which led to Ed training her in self-defense. Al laughed a little bit when Ed relayed how Aura had saved him from being hit by a car while Ed was rushing to the library.

"Sorry for laughing brother, but I can picture that scene, you always get too impatient when looking for clues and end up being careless."

"Yeah yeah, throw some more of my flaws in my face right now why don't ya?" Ed gave Al a cross look and continued with his story. Al listened intently as he got to the part in the Lab where Ed saw their father Hohenheim and the fight that had ensued with Aura and Lucien. Al had seen both of them get trapped and taken by that portal Father had thrown at them, and had hoped that they managed to stay together in whatever place they had ended up.

"Where is Dad now? Did he come with you?" Al asked.

"No, he helped get the equipment prepared for the Gate to activate. I think he had intended to come through with me, but didn't get down to it in time. Plus I think he realized Lucien was a threat and stayed behind to make sure he wouldn't be able to cross through after us." He told Al how Aura had saved him from being stabbed in the back by Lucien, and how he had agonized over the decision to leave her there or bring her with him.

"If I left her there I was sure Lucien would have killed her, and the only other idea I could think of to keep her alive was to bring her with me." He finished his story by telling Al all he could remember when they got to the Gate. How Truth had seemed to think Aura looked familiar. Just as they began to ponder why that could be they heard a door open from the hall, and saw a blonde head peek in through the doorway. Winry hadn't changed at all, except she was wearing her medical scrubs and looked exhausted.

"Ed, glad to see you're awake, I was worried about you! I hope Al didn't interrupt your sleep too much. I have to ask, did you know the girl that we found near you?" Ed told her that he did and that she was the reason he made it home. And that she had been hurt saving his life.

"Oh, well she seems to be stable for now and resting about as comfortably as she can given her condition. Give her some time before rushing in there to see how she's doing, okay? I need to get washed up and try to get some rest myself, but she's made it through the worst of it." Winry said as she walked out of the room.

Ed thought about that last thing Winry had said. That she had made it through the worst of it, and couldn't help but think that wasn't true.


	9. The Picture

She woke up slowly, easing out of her strange dreams and into what she assumed was the real world. She didn't recognize the room she was in though. Something felt off, she tried to look around but her body felt so sore all over. She moved to pick herself up off the bed, but didn't have the strength. She let out an exhaustive, yet frustrated sigh as she fell back to the bed. _Where am I? Why does this place feel so different? Why do I feel so different_? she thought to herself as she raised her right hand up to her face, and felt the thick bandaging covering her right eye.

"Wha...what happened to my face? Wait, the fight with Lucien, I remember now. I was in a large white room before, but how did I end up here. Is this...am I dead?" She spoke quietly to herself, not realizing anyone else was in the room with her.

"No, you're not dead, you're just in recovery. You were badly hurt, but Winry and Granny did all they could to help you." The voice spoke softly, she recognized it before long as Ed's voice.

"Ed, what's going on, is this your home? How did I get here?" She saw Edward come into view standing over her on the right side of her bed.

"I brought you through the Gate with me. You have to understand Aura, I thought I was doing the right thing. If I left you there, I was sure Lucien would have killed you. I couldn't stand the thought of that happening to you after all you did to help me. So I picked you up and took you through the Gate. I didn't realize what it would cost you though, I'm so sorry Aura."

"What it cost me... Oh." She reached her right arm over to her left shoulder, and felt the bandages that ended just below the joint there. She tried moving her right leg as well, but only felt a sharp pain from above her knee, but nothing below that. That thing at the Gate had taken her arm and leg from her, she remembered that clearly now.

"It's my fault Aura, I won't blame you at all if you get mad or hate me, I deserve it for what you've lost." Edward looked so sad, he stared down towards the floor, afraid to look at the damage he felt he had done to Aura. She paused for a moment before she spoke again.

"I could never hate you Ed. You believed that what you did would save my life, and here I am, still alive. You can't expect me to hate you for that. Besides, at least I still have my right arm. I'd be lost if that arm was taken, I do everything right-handed!" She had hoped her positive outlook and encouraging words would raise Ed's spirit, and it seemed to be working, because he couldn't help but start laughing just then.

"You...hahaha... you're amazing Aura. You lose half your body and you celebrate because you still have your right arm! You're too optimistic for your own good sometimes, you know that?"

"Perhaps, but I got you to smile again at least, so I consider that a small victory on my part," she said, smiling back at him.

"Still, this is serious Aura, I want you to know... If you want, I'd like to pay for you to get automail to replace what you've lost. It's a pretty serious procedure, and it takes time to get used to, but if you want it, consider it done. That's the least I could do to pay you back for all you've done for me."

"I'll have to give it some thought, but I appreciate it Ed, thanks." Aura wondered if she should go through with the surgery for automail. She had heard Edward describe the process, and all the time it took to heal and train his body to use it. She wondered if she had the strength and endurance to go through with it. She decided to give herself a chance to learn to go about life the way she was for the time being.

...

Weeks had passed since Aura had woken up to find herself in a strange new world, and lately she had been spending most of her time in a wheelchair, seated next to the window in her room. She had enjoyed staring out her window as a young girl, watching the trees swaying in the wind, the storms that came through, the outdoors always held her attention. But now all she did was gaze out there and wonder if she'd ever be able to experience the outside world the way she used to before her incident in the Gate. She felt lost, she had tried going about her normal daily activities like she used to, but even the simplest tasks proved to be so demanding now that she was short an arm and a leg. She got frustrated so easily, and gave up on things quickly, which was unlike her. Even with Ed around, and her new friends Al, Winry and Pinako all trying to help her, she felt useless and resigned to just sitting in her chair, watching the world outside as it passed her by.

"I think you should talk to Aura, she seems to be rather down lately." Winry mentioned to Ed, who was just sitting down at the table, ready for dinner.

"Yeah, I've been worried about her too. But every time I ask her if something is wrong she just tells me that she's fine and goes back to looking out the window. I'm not sure what else I can say to help cheer her up." He was concerned about Aura, but he'd been having a hard time finding the right words to say. He was worried that he'd say the wrong thing and get her more upset. He had brought up the idea of her getting fitted with automail a few more times, but she'd quickly change the subject or just not respond. It hurt him to see the person who had helped him to move forward and get back home struggle with herself day after day.

"Well, there must be something we can do to help raise her spirits." Winry looked around the room, and spotted some old books on a shelf in the corner. On it were some old photo albums from when her and the boys were little. She had an idea and told Ed she would go get Aura for dinner. Opening the door to her room, she found Aura in her favorite spot by the window. She noticed a cold chill upon entering the room as well. It was unusual since the rest of the house was so warm, but she stopped thinking about it when she got over to Aura.

"Hey Aura, dinner's ready. And I was wondering... How would you like to see some pictures of Ed and Al when they were little, I'm sure there are a few pictures they'd prefer that we never see, what do you think?"

Aura looked away from the window and up at Winry, and she smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like it might be fun."

 _She looks like she's cheering up, so that's good_ , thought Winry as she wheeled Aura out into the main room and to the table. Once everybody was done eating, Winry asked everyone to stay at the table as she got up, went to the shelf and picked up a couple of photo albums. Once the boys saw what she had grabbed they knew what she planned to do and let out a deep groan.

"Oh, grow up you two, I think Aura will enjoy seeing what you guys were like when you were younger." She pulled up her chair next to Aura's and placed the books in front of the two of them. She opened the first book and started pointing out who each person was in the photos. There were pictures of Winry's parents in this book, holding baby Winry, smiling and looking happy to all be together. Further in there were pictures of Winry with Ed and Al, who all looked so much younger than they were now. There were many pictures of the boys getting into trouble. Aura smiled and laughed at them, even joining in with Winry who was teasing Ed when the pictures showed Al getting the better of him.

"Yeah, keep laughing, I was only letting him win all those fights so he wouldn't cry like a baby!" Ed said, crossing his arms and pouting to himself.

"Okay chief, you keep telling yourself that," Aura said while holding back laughter, and turned the page to the Elric's family portrait. She glanced it over, but then quickly brought her attention back to it. Her smile faded away and was replaced with a look of confusion and shock. She let out a nearly silent gasp and reeled back in her seat.

"What is it Aura, is something wrong?" said Ed, who had seen her expression change suddenly and gotten concerned.

"Ed..." she paused and pointed at the photograph of Ed and Al with their parents. "What is my father doing in your picture?!"


	10. The Window

"YOUR FATHER?!", said in unison by the four people in the room with Aura. Even Pinako, who until then had only been partially paying attention to what they were doing. 

"Are you sure it's him, Aura?" said Al, trying to speak calmly so she would feel more at ease.

"Of course it is! You think I wouldn't recognize my own father in a picture?!" she replied, raising her voice for a moment. "He was with my mom and I until I was about six years old, then he was gone. Mom said that he had work he had to finish somewhere else. I knew he would come back some day, but as the years went on, we talked about him less. Then Mom met Lucien and rarely mentioned my father when he was around. Lucien didn't like hearing about Owen and would lock me in my room whenever I'd say my father would come back for us."

"Wait, you knew him as Owen? Interesting play on words by that old bastard. His real name is Hohenheim, Aura." Ed was silent for a moment, collected his thoughts, then continued. "I think I have an idea of what happened." Edward settled down at the table and began to share what he had learned while on the other side.

"While I was in Aura's world, I ran into Hohenheim at the lab. He said that after he left home he ran into a homunculus that could cast portals and ended up in her world. He did some research, found a lab that was working on theories for time or dimensional travel and began working with the scientist that started the research. He stayed there several years until he was able to get the portal finished. Then once it was ready he used it to get back to our world, but not before destroying his research so his partner couldn't use it."

"Wait, are you saying that you saw my father while we were in the lab?" Aura started to get upset, tears starting to well up in her one good eye, the other still bandaged. "He came back after all this time... I knew he was going to, but why didn't he come and find me?"

"I don't know Aura, I didn't think the two of you had even met at that point, much less that you were related." Ed told her, still trying to get his head around the situation.

"Why wouldn't he have wanted his research partner to use the project they worked on together?" asked Al.

"Because Hohenheim said he couldn't trust him. He felt it shouldn't fall into his hands, so he sabotaged the project. And based on that, I have a feeling that Lucien was the research partner. He knew what the portal was when it activated, so I'm sure he was the one that Hohenheim screwed out of the research."

"That may be the reason Lucien ended up with my mother. Maybe he thought my father left us his research." Aura's voice had begun to break as she spoke. She recalled Lucien telling her that he was looking for something her mom had hidden from him. It had to be the research material, that's the reason he had trashed the house back then.

"It's possible Aura, I don't understand why he went as far as marrying her to try to get to it though. Maybe... No, that's too cruel to even think about." Ed had started but didn't want to say what he thought with Aura there, she had already been through enough as it was.

"Just say it Ed, what are you thinking?"

"Well, perhaps he thought that after your mother's death, everything would be legally his. Including any research documents still left in the house or in a place previously unavailable to him." 

"Which would explain why he was so angry when he found out nothing was left to him." Aura said, finishing Ed's thought. "But even after he searched the house, he never found what he was looking for. Maybe it's still out there somewhere?"

"No, Hohenheim would have known better than to leave even a scrap of a note behind. Plus he seemed to know what he was doing while he was setting up the machines in the control room back at the lab. He didn't need to follow any notes, he had it all memorized."

"So Lucien terrorized us for years, slowly poisoned and killed my mother, and... hurt me for nothing. There was no reason for it, no secret for him to find." Aura had started to feel that empty sadness again, and just wanted to retreat back to her room with the window. 

"Aura, I think you may have been what Lucien was looking for. See, Hohenheim had set up the portal to only work for someone that was Amestrian. Since you are apparently his kid, the portal worked for you. It was you that started it after all, when you placed your bloody hands in the circle, it activated. I guess Hohenheim must have thought I had done it, but then... Wait, he did call out your name as we were walking through the Gate!"

"So he did still remember, I didn't think he'd forget..." Aura said quietly.

"Yeah, that bastard... Seems the only thing he's good for is leaving his kids when they need him the most!" Edward's anger began to rise. He had never had a good relationship with his father. But now learning that he had met another woman and had a child with her, he could barely contain his rage. He jumped up from the table so fast that his chair flew backwards away from him.

"I'm sure he had his reasons, Ed, he isn't a bad person. I can't remember any time when I was mad at him." Aura was getting nervous seeing Edward so angry. It was just natural for her to try to recoil from someone who was mad and aggressive. She had Lucien to thank for that fear. 

"Don't try to defend him Aura, all he ever was to me and Al was a deadbeat, and now we can add a liar and cheater to the list as well!"

"Brother, please calm down, it can't be as bad as you think..." Alphonse attempted to neutralize his brother's rage, but didn't even come close.

"No Al, it is! How could he even try to claim that our mother was the love of his life with a straight face! He didn't care about HER or US!" Edward's temper had reached it's breaking point. He had to get out of the house before he blew the top off of it. He started to walk towards the door. As he walked past Aura she reached out to grab him by his arm, and caught his shirt sleeve.

"Ed, please don't go! I'm sorry all of this is making you sad, but I'm sure there's a reas..." She never got to finish her sentence before Ed went off again.

"If there is a reason I don't want to know about it. And I'm not sad, I'm angry! I'm pissed that he could be such a liar and a fake. He better hope that he never gets back here! Now let go of me Aura!" Ed yelled, trying to shake her grasp off of his arm and keep walking. She leaned out of her wheelchair and grabbed hold of his arm, pleading for him to stay and calm down. He pulled his arm back harder this time, breaking free of Aura's grasp. As he did so, the force made her lose her balance in the wheelchair and she fell out of it to the ground. She landed with a thud on her left side. She winced in pain as the stump of her left arm had taken the brunt of the fall. Everyone at the table scrambled up to help her.

Ed stood there staring down at her, tears reflecting in his eyes, his lip quivering. But before any of his tears could fall he ran out of the room and out of the house. Winry and Al helped Aura back to her chair and checked her wounds and to see if she had re-injured anything.

"I'm so sorry Aura, I've never seen him this angry before! Are you okay, does anything hurt?" said Winry, getting her settled in her chair.

"No... I'm fine, really." The sadness in Aura's soft voice was heartbreaking, "I think I'd like to go back to my room now." She slumped in the chair and hung her head down as Winry began to wheel her to her room. Al asked Winry if he could take her. Winry nodded and moved out of his way as he grabbed hold of the chair's handles.

"Aura, I know brother can be pretty hot-headed at times, but I hope you don't think he's mad at you, or that he meant to hurt you on purpose. He's always had trouble dealing with our father's absence, and doesn't know how to handle this new situation. But as for me... I'm glad to know that we have another member of our family. And I'm sure brother feels the same, he just has to work through his emotions in his own way." As Al pushed Aura towards her room, he noticed the air had begun to get colder, much more so as they went into her room.

"It's pretty cold in here, I'll have to check on the heat, do you want a blanket?" he asked Aura, who didn't seem to notice a difference in the temperature. 

"No, I'm fine. I know Ed didn't mean to hurt me, but I'm sure things won't be the same now. When he looks at me, he's not going to see a sister, he's going to see proof of his father's lies. He's going to resent me for that, I know it..."

"That's not true Aura, not after all that you two have been through. You saved my brother's life on more than one occasion, helped him to get back home, even when it cost you so much. There's no way he would forget about all of that! He'll be happy that he has a sister now as well as a friend willing to risk everything for him. He cares about you Aura, that will never change."

"I hope you're right Al, I really do. Could you push me over to the window please?" Al maneuvered her over to her favorite spot at the window, asked again if she wanted a blanket since he was getting chills, but she refused again as he closed the door behind him. She put her elbow up on the arm rest and rested her face in her hand and went back to gazing out at the outside world. Even though her world and everything she had known had just been turned upside down, she found some small comfort in the fact that what she saw out the window had stayed the same.


	11. The Decision To Move Forward

Several hours later, Edward came back to the house.  He hesitated for a moment before opening the door to walk inside.  _How could I have let her fall like that, after all she's done for me..._ That was the thought that was weighing on his mind as he stepped over the threshold.  Before he even realized it a metal wrench cut through the air and smashed against his forehead.  Winry, on the other end of its painful greeting, just scowled at him with teary eyes.  
  
"YOU IDIOT!  I've seen you do some stupid things Elric, but running off and leaving that poor girl defenseless on the floor has got to take the cake!"  She started to swing at his face again, but Ed caught her arm before it fell back down.  
  
"Geez Winry, don't you think I don't already feel bad about that?  I don't know what happened, I was just so angry.  I needed to get out to clear my head.  Seeing her fall like that... I was so ashamed.  That on top of everything else I was feeling, all I could think to do was run.  I am an idiot, Winry.  I don't need a wrench to the head to realize that."  She dropped the tool and pulled Ed to her and hugged him close, her tears falling on his shoulder.  He was surprised by the embrace, but it felt comforting, so he put his arms around her as well.  They stood their silently for a moment, then Ed stepped away from her and cleared his throat.  
  
"I need to go apologize to her, I don't expect her to forgive me but I have to let her know I didn't mean for her to get hurt." Edward said as Winry wiped the trails of tears off of her cheeks and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Al moved her back to her room right after you left.  I'm sure she's still awake, it's not dark yet so she'll probably still be looking out her window."  
  
"Thanks Winry, and... I'm sorry for upsetting you as well."  He walked down the hall and stopped at Aura's door.  _Alright Ed, the least you can do is apologize for letting her down._   He took a deep breath and opened the door.  A blast of cold air met him and it made him shiver before he could even step into the room.  Just as Winry had said, Aura was sitting by the window.  Ed's heart sank as he saw the way she looked.  The look on her face reminded him of the way he felt right after the failed transmutation.  Defeated and hopeless, sitting in his wheelchair and not knowing where to go from there.  Her eyes now held the sorrow that she had seen in him when they first met in the cafe.  And it was all his fault.  
  
"Uhh, Aura, I just wanted... I want to say that, I'm sorry for what happened earlier." He struggled with his words, his emotions threatening to stop his apology before he even got started.  
  
"You don't have to apologize Ed, you had every right to be angry with what you found out.  I'm sorry for that, and I understand if you hate me for it." Her words were softly spoken, but clear.    
  
"What?!  Hate you?!  No, I had no right to act like that.  And no excuse for causing you to fall and get hurt.  After all you've done, how could I ever hate you?  That's just stupid to even think like that Aura, and I know you're not as stupid as I am, even if you are my sister."  He noticed a faint smile appear on her face when he referred to her as his sister.  It was strange saying it out loud at first, considering he had only had Al as his family for so long.  But somehow, it wasn't that out of the ordinary to call her his sister.  In some ways, he had considered her one before, after all they had been through together.    
  
"I, I just couldn't help but think that you would resent me.  That I'd be a constant reminder of what you hate most about your...uhh... our father."  
  
"No, I could never hate you for that.  I'm glad that we have another member of our family.  If anything, you should hate me.  After all, it is my fault you're stuck here away from your home and missing your limbs."  
  
"I don't blame you, Ed.  And honestly, I didn't have much of a life on that side anyway.  You saw that for yourself.  You've given me the chance for a new start, and I've just been sitting here wasting it.  Staring out the window, wishing I could be out there again.  But I'm just letting my handicaps keep me down.  I can't do that anymore.  I want to get out of this chair.  I want to be able to do the things I loved to do again.  I want to be _whole_ again, Ed.  It's time for me to move forward."  The look on her face had changed.  She looked determined and hopeful again.  More like the girl he had first met a few months ago.  He was happy to see her like this again, but knew what this meant.  
  
"So you want to go through the automail surgery then?  Just say the word and I'll have Winry start the preparations right away!"  He knew how hard this procedure was, but he knew that sitting there miserable and helpless wasn't much better.  
  
"Yeah, I know how rough it will be, but I can't keep living like this.  I just hope I can endure it.  When you had your automail surgery, you had a goal to focus on, getting your bodies back.  I don't have anything like that to work towards to keep me focused on recovering.  I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to get through it."  
  
"That's nonsense Aura.  I've seen what you're capable of, and I know you can do this."  He thought about it for a moment, and had an idea.  "But how about I challenge you to a sparring match once you're fully healed.  Just like the sparring we used to do when I was teaching you self defense.  After the surgery we can train and once you feel you're ready we can spar for real.  Would you consider that a goal worth focusing on?"  
  
She thought about it and smiled.  She enjoyed training with him, even though she had never won against him in their practice sparring rounds.  She nodded her head in approval.  "Yes, I think I'd like that.  I'll be sure to focus on finally beating you too!"  
  
"That's the spirit Aura!  I'll let Winry know what you've decided so she can start preparing."  He started to leave but then hesitated.  He recalled something that he had been wondering while he was out trying to clear his head.  He pulled a chair up next to Aura and sat down.  "By the way, if you don't want to I'd understand.  But I was wondering... if you had any pictures of you with your mother and Hohenheim."    
  
"Actually, yeah I do.  Lucien thought he had destroyed all of our family photos, but there were some that he didn't know about that I had hidden.  Most of them were of me and my mom, but I did have one picture of the three of us.  For some reason when I was packing my backpack before we went to the lab I felt the need to put it in there.  Can you pass me the bag?"  Ed looked in the direction she was pointing and saw her bag up against her dresser.  He got up and brought it to her, left it in her lap and opened the pocket she said the picture was in.  She rifled through the pocket before finding it.  She gazed at it for a moment, smiled at the happy memories it had returned to her, and passed it over to Edward.  
  
He had thought of the possibility while he was calming down, but had dismissed it shortly before returning home.  But now he was sure as he looked at the photo and saw that Aura's mother looked a lot like his mother.  Some features were different, her hair was a different shade, her eyes were different as well, but he was looking at his mother's counterpart.    
  
"He found her on the other side.  As much as I despise the bastard, I can't fault him for wanting to see her again.  If I had even suspected it, I would have looked for her too."  His eyes had grown watery while looking at the photo, and he took time to rub his eyes to keep the tears from falling before handing her the picture back.  
  
"What does that mean Ed?  You think that she's your mother too?"  
  
"No, not exactly.  During all the reading I was doing while over there, I found some theories that believed a person living in one world could possibly have a counterpart or 'twin' in another parallel world.  I'm not sure how likely that theory is, but the fact that your mother and mine look so much alike would make it lean more towards it being possible."  He stood up and yawned, then rested his hand on her shoulder.  "I'll let Winry know about your decision, we'll start getting ready tomorrow.  Get some sleep Aura, you're gonna need it.  Good night."  
  
She motioned for him to lean down, and when he did she gave him a big hug around his neck.  She then whispered into his ear, "Thank you.  Good night, my little brother."    
  
He jumped back up as she let go and raised his metal hand up and formed a fist and started shaking it at her.  "NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE, WHO ARE YOU CALLING YOUR TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK BROTHER?!"    
  
"That's not what I said at all, moron.  You're younger than me, so you're my little brother."  She laughed at his silly overreaction.  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense, we were born before you.  So that makes you our little sister!  End of discussion!"  He honestly wasn't sure how to figure out who was the older sibling.  He had been born in 1899 in his world, and Aura was born in 1995 in hers.  A difference of nearly a hundred years!  He shook his head and walked out of her room, which had seemed to warm up considerably from the time he had first walked in.  He could hear her hushed giggling behind him as he closed the door, but he just smiled and walked away.  
  
"Time travel is a pain in the ass.  No wonder we haven't bothered researching it on this side." Ed muttered to himself as he went back to the main room to tell Winry of Aura's decision to get automail.


	12. The Surgery

"You don't have to worry Aura, everything's going to go really easy.  This procedure isn't that bad at all, right Al?" Ed said with a wide grin.  
  
"Yep, you'll be just fine sis, it'll be over before you know it."  Both boys were being awfully cheerful, and it was starting to grate on Aura's nerves.  
  
"Don't sugar-coat it for me, guys.  I know when I'm in there it's going to hurt like hell for who knows how long."  She may have been a little harsh, but she knew they wouldn't take much offense to it.  Ed knew what was in store for her, so he only nodded and pushed her wheelchair into the operating room.  He stopped Aura just beside the operating table and tried to avoid Winry's stare.  
  
"I hope you don't think you're staying in here Ed.  I had to keep kicking Al out of the room last time when we did this for you.  Don't make me have to run you out of here too!"    
  
"So nice to see you this morning too, Winry."  Ed sighed as he began to walk towards the door.  He was hoping to stay with Aura, but wasn't about to incur Winry's wrath right before they got started.  He said good luck to Aura and quickly shot Winry a mean glare before he ducked out of the room.  
  
"Ugh, those brothers of yours, I don't know what we're going to do with them.  But now, let's get you walking again, shall we?"  Winry said with a smile that seemed reassuring to Aura.  
  
Al had pulled up a couple chairs and sat them beside the door to the room when Ed came back out.  "You should have known she wasn't going to let you stay in there, brother." Al laughed as he spoke to Ed.  
  
"Yeah, yeah.  It was worth a try, I was hoping to help keep her comfortable." Ed seemed rather sulky as he plopped into the empty chair next the his brother.  
  
"She really is going to be okay Ed, you shouldn't worry.  I've been wondering about something lately though brother..."  
  
"What is it Al?" Ed asked, curious as to what his brother had on his mind.  
  
"Well, I was just trying to figure out what happened when you and Aura were crossing through the Gate to get here.  I know what you said about how it kicked you out and showed Aura the Truth, but something still doesn't sound right.  Like why did it let you go without incident but take a toll from her?"  
  
Ed was surprised by Al's question, he hadn't expected him to be thinking about something that happened a few weeks ago.  Then again, his brother always focused on minor details while he looked at the big picture, which is why they made such a great team.  "Truth told me that my toll had been paid already, by Aura.  I thought that maybe I had misheard it, but what if he was right?  What did the Truth seem to find so special about Aura to consider her worthy of being a toll?"  
  
"Did it say anything else that may be suspicious?  You know how it tends to deal with things in riddles."  
  
"It did seem to focus on Aura for a while, and it did say that she looked familiar.  Wait a second, that's it Al!  It recognized Aura as our sister, that has to be it!" Ed was sure he was on to something now and kept thinking back to their time at the Gate before he was kicked through his portal.  
  
"So you think that maybe it chose Aura as your toll because she's our sister?  That doesn't make any sense brother, it never worked like that before!" Al was confused now, he believed Ed was on the right track, but it didn't make much sense.  
  
"No, that can't be all there was to it.  Truth must have seen something more than just her relation to us.  I should have asked Aura what she remembered from that time, but I didn't think it was significant enough to worry her about.  Not until now anyway."  
  
Just then the door to the operating room opened and Winry stuck her head out.  She looked like she had been sitting in a steam room rather than performing a prosthetic operation.  Her face was coated in sweat and her hair looked damp and limp against her scrubs and mask.  
  
"Ed, Al, you need to come in here and see this!" They jumped up immediately and rushed into the room and were met by a sweltering heat in the air, followed by painful cries from their sister.  
  
"What's wrong with the heat, Winry?  It's too hot in here, she's going to burn up!" Ed said, wiping the sweat away from his eyes so he could see.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with the heat, Ed, it's not even on in here!  We have to keep this room at a certain temperature or the equipment starts to malfunction.  I'm not sure how guys, but I think the heat is coming from Aura.  She's not running a fever, but the air immediately around her is burning up and radiating out over the whole room.  We have to find a way to cool it off or we'll have a serious problem with her automail."  
  
They looked at Aura, who was unconscious but in pain as she cried out again and writhed against the restraints keeping her secured to the bed.  Ed made the connection, held her right hand in his and began to speak calmly to her.  
  
"Aura, it's me Ed.  Listen, you have to calm down.  I know it hurts really bad right now, but if you don't chill out the machines connected to you are going to stop working.  Just start breathing slowly, with deep breaths.  Concentrate on my voice Aura and take nice calming breaths, that's it."  He held her hand gently and continued to speak softly to her.  As he did, she began to struggle less and relaxed.  They could tell a difference almost immediately in the temperature of the room once she had settled down.  
  
"I guess we need you to stay in here after all Ed.  Go scrub up over at the sink and put on some gloves and scrubs.  Quickly now, we can't waste anymore time.  Back outside with you though Al, sorry."  Al hung his head and walked out of the room while Winry went back to where Pinako was standing.  They waited until Ed was seated next to Aura again before continuing their operation of connecting her nerves to the housing mechanism just above where her knee would be.  Several times she began to cry out, but Edward held her hand and comforted her and avoided another incident with the temperature.  
  
Al sat back down in his chair outside the room and tried to figure out what had just happened in there.  The room was so hot, but as soon as Edward started talking to Aura and calmed her down, the temperature went back to normal.  Just then he had a flashback to the night Aura had fallen out of her chair and he had pushed her back into her room.  He remembered how cold that room was, even though the rest of the house was fine.  He thought of how sad and depressed she had been at that moment, then of how tense and agitated she was just now and realized what was going on.  He jumped to his feet and opened the door to the room.  
  
"Brother! Winry! I think I know what's going on with Aura!"    
  
"Can it wait until we're done Al, we're just finishing up her leg and have to start on her arm next." said Winry, getting mad that the sanctity of her operating room was being disturbed way more than she preferred.  
  
"Go ahead Al, make it fast, what is it?" Edward said quickly, hoping Winry wouldn't whack him with whatever the closest metal object was to her hand at the moment.  
  
"It's her emotions, that's what is causing the temperature to change.  Back when she was in the wheelchair and depressed, her room was always cold.  And now with her dealing with so much pain, she's getting anxious and it's generating heat.  Somehow she can alter the temperature of her surroundings by how she's feeling."  
  
"Al, you're a genius!  That does make a lot of sense.  If she has the ability to do that, then perhaps that's what Truth saw while we were in the Gate that was unique enough to be considered worth letting me pass through."  
  
"Okay, now that you two detectives have your little mystery all figured out, do you think maybe we can finish this mildly serious freaking operation!"  Even without the heat in the room, Winry was turning red in the face with anger.  Al barely made it out the door before the bedpan she had flung at him hit the wall where he had been standing.  She took a moment to calm herself before going back to work.  
  
"That's some ability you have there Aura, altering temperature based on mood alone." Ed spoke quietly to her as he held fast to her hand while the women began to open up the bandages around her left arm's stump to expose the nerves.  "I wonder though, if there are any other surprises like that you're capable of."


	13. The Sparring Match

"Ed, time for breakfast!" yelled Aura from the kitchen as she placed a plate of pancakes on the table.  She walked down the hallway toward his room, her automail leg and arm moving just as well as her former limbs were able to.  It had been a year and a half since she had her surgery, and was proud of the progress she had made.  She knocked on Edward's door and heard a "I heard you the first 3 times, I'll be right out!" from her brother as a response.  She shook her head and smiled as went back to the table and sat down next to Winry.  
  
"Wow, everything looks great Aura, thanks.  It's always a treat when you're in the kitchen."  Winry started spearing pancakes with her fork and dropped them on her plate.  
  
"No problem, it's too bad we'll be the only ones to appreciate how good this food is when it's HOT!"  Aura yelled the last bit in Edward's direction.  One of the things she had missed most while she was injured was cooking and baking.  During her recovery she had asked if she could practice cooking with her new arm as well as the mobility and physical rehab that followed automail procedures.  They said yes and had been enjoying whatever Aura created in the kitchen ever since.  She heard a thump through the wall, and guessed Ed had finally gotten out of bed, or rolled out of it at least.  
  
The front door opened just then and Alphonse walked inside, surprising both girls at the table.  
  
"Al!  I didn't know you were coming back from Xing so soon!  Did you have a good trip?  How is May?"  Aura got up and hugged her older little brother, glad to see him after he had been away the last six months studying Alkahestry with his friend May Chang.  
  
"Glad to be back, Aura, the trip went well.  And May's doing just fine, she said to say hello and that she hopes to visit soon.  Where is brother, I wanted to be sure I made it back home in time."  
  
"He's slowly making his way to the kitchen for breakfast.  Back in time for what Al?" Aura asked him, wondering why he had suddenly began grinning.  Edward walked out and greeted Al in much the same way Aura did.   
  
"Hey Al, what's up?" Ed said casually as the three of them sat down at the kitchen table.  
  
"Well, I figured that it had been enough time, so I wanted to be sure I was home."  
  
"Home in time for what?"  Aura and Edward said in sync as they both asked Al the same question, then stared at each other when they noticed they had copied each other.  
  
"For the match of course!  I figured Aura should be nearly ready for the sparring match Ed promised, and I didn't want to take a chance of missing it!"  
  
"Oh yeah, I guess it is about time for that.  I mean, if you feel like you're ready Aura."  
  
"I'm more than ready to show you what I'm capable of brother!" She seemed a bit eager as she smiled at Edward, who wasn't sure if she was trying to psych him out or what.  
  
"Alright then, it's settled.  After breakfast we'll get ready for the match.  I'll want to check your automail though Aura, just to be sure everything's right before you start." Winry said as she poured syrup over her pancakes.  Everyone started eating, the conversation was light, mostly Al telling stories from his trip to Xing.  After everyone was done, the boys went outside to prepare and the girls went to the shop.  Aura sat on the bench while Winry began flexing her arm back and forth watching the numerous moving parts as she did.  
  
"Winry, I was just wondering... Do you think Edward would take it easy on me, let me win just to be nice or because I'm his sister?"  
  
She moved on to Aura's leg and was inspecting it closely.  "Edward?  No, I don't think he'd ever consider doing anything like that.  First off, he doesn't care if you're a boy or girl, a fight is a fight.  And second, he knows that this sparring match was a major goal during your recovery from surgery.  It would be insulting to you for him to cheat or take a dive, and he respects you too much to do that.  Trust me, when you and him are out there, he's going to give his all, so you had better be prepared to do the same.  Now go show him what you're made of and kick his butt!"   
  
"Thanks so much Winry, for everything." She gave her a quick hug and the two of them walked out to the yard, where the boys were waiting.  Pinako sat on a fence rail smoking her tobacco pipe while Den laid down nearby.  
  
"So Aura, you really think you're ready?  You can always take more time to train." Edward said to her, smiling.  She smiled back and walked up until they were face to face.  
  
"I'm ready brother, don't wimp out on me now, let's get started!"    
  
They bowed to each other and took their fighting stances.  Edward moved first, and Aura was able to evade his attack quickly.  He tried landing several fists but she managed to block them fairly easily.  The match continued on like this, with both siblings staying evenly matched.  Aura changed her stance and motioned for Edward to come at her.  Edward ran towards her, and attempted a jump-kick when Aura moved to the side, grabbed his waist and slammed him to the ground.  
  
"What was that Aura?!" said Edward, who was caught off-guard.  
  
"It's a type of body slam I remembered while watching wrestling back in my world.  Figured I could use their moves as well as the ones you and Al have taught me."  She got back to her feet before Edward did, and they continued on with their match.  Neither one was gaining any advantage over the other.  Edward was impressed with his sister's ability to handle herself.  Just as he thought he had her cornered, she rolled out of the way.  Before he could turn around she delivered a sturdy kick to his back that sent him flying to the ground again.    
  
"Dammit!  You know, just once I'd like to beat at least one of my siblings in a fight!"  Edward whined as Aura stood over him, offered her arm and helped him to his feet.  
  
"Too bad today wasn't that day, Fullmetal."  
  
 _That voice.  No, it couldn't be..._ , Ed thought as he turned towards the gate to see Mustang standing there, with Riza Hawkeye at his side.  
  
"What are _you_ doing here Colonel?!" Ed said with an attitude.  He still held a grudge with Mustang for using a philosopher's stone to heal his blindness even though he knew human lives were taken to make the stone.  
  
"Nice to see you too Fullmetal, and it's Brigadier General now.  You say this is your sibling?  How is that possible?  And don't try to hide anything, you got me Elric?  I've had a long trip and your childish behavior isn't very welcoming."   
  
"We better go inside, it's a long story..." Al said. He motioned his arm towards the house and everyone moved indoors.  
  
It took some time, but they told the story of how Edward managed to get home from the other side of the gate, as well as bring Aura through it with him.  They left out Aura's ability to affect air temperature around her through her emotions.  Mustang sat quietly and listened without interruption.  When they were done, Roy sat silently for several minutes before he spoke to the people gathered at the table.  
  
"I didn't think it was possible to use a portal as a way between worlds.  Even more so, the thought that someone can be brought from one world and into ours is just as mind-blowing.  Has she been able to perform alchemy since she's been here?" Mustang looked directly at her, and she felt compelled to answer him herself.  
  
"Well, Ed and Al are teaching me, but I haven't have much luck so far.  They say I've been improving though."  
  
"Is that so?  Well keep me informed on your progress young lady.  I'm curious to know how well someone from a world that doesn't have alchemy adapts to using it here."  Mustang rose from his seat, stretched and then turned to Edward.  
  
"Oh, the reason for my visit is to inform you that you've been summoned to Central.  There's a case that we'd like your help with."  
  
"You couldn't just call and tell me over the phone?  You had to grace us with your presence to deliver that message?" Ed got up from his seat and got in the General's face as he spoke.  
  
"I could have just given you a call to inform you, sure.  But I have a lot of leave built up and I figured why not visit my favorite subordinate and see how things are going in his neck of the woods.  Plus I didn't want to miss the look on your face when you saw me show up here."  He gave Edward a big smile, patted him on the top of his head and walked out of the house with Hawkeye in tow.  "I'll meet you in Central in a few days.  It was nice meeting you Aura, I look forward to hearing more about you and your alchemy lessons."  
  
Al managed to catch Edward before he went into full meltdown mode and held him back until Mustang and his crew had left.  "You shouldn't let his teasing get to you like that brother." Al said as he let his brother go.  Ed stormed off towards his room, but came face to face with Aura, who was suspiciously smiling at him.  
  
"Why are you smiling like that Aura?"  
  
"I was just wondering... Could I go with you guys to Central?  I've been here over a year and a half now and I haven't left Resembool once!  Can I please go too?"    
  
Ed was still angry, but each time he'd try to walk past Aura, she'd hop in his way and ask again.  Finally he had enough.  
  
"Fine, you can come with us, but you better not wander off, okay?!  I'm just gonna go there, see what this case is about, and then we're gone, okay?  I don't want to be there any longer than I have to."  
  
"Sure thing little brother, I'll go get my stuff ready!"  She ran off to her room to pack her things, happy to finally get to see more of this new country.  
  
"NOW WHO SAID YOU COULD CALL ME YOUR MICROSCOPIC PEA-SIZED BROTHER!  I'M OLDER THAN YOU AND YOU KNOW IT!"  
  
Al, Winry, and Pinako all spoke as one when they said "that's not what she said at all, Edward."  
  
Edward just shook his head, went to his room and slammed the door.  "I was hoping to avoid this for a little while longer."  He opened his closet and took out his red overcoat and put it on.  It was smaller than when he last wore it, so he took it off and transmuted the fabric to fit him better.  "They keep calling me small, I'm obviously growing if my clothes don't fit!"


	14. The Visit to Central, Part One

Aura grew anxious as the train pulled into Central station.  Al was reading a book next to her.  Something about Alkahestry that he'd borrowed from May.  She looked over to Ed who was sitting across from her, staring out the window looking bored.  Winry was asleep in the seat beside him, her head resting on Ed's shoulder.  Ed didn't seem to mind.  She thought they made a cute couple, and wondered how long it would take for them to realize that fact too.  Her attention went back to the scene outside the train window.  The people hurried about on the platforms.  She enjoyed the sights of the train ride, but was glad to see something other than grassy fields and dirt roads.  
  
"We're here, we should get going." said Edward as he took a deep breath and stood up, effectively causing Winry to fall over into his empty seat.  She sleepily looked around and then stood up quickly, hoping nobody saw what happened.  Aura looked away before Winry could realize she'd seen her face plant into the seat and get embarrassed.  
  
The three of them followed Edward off the train and gathered outside the entrance to the station, where it was less crowded.  Aura was so busy looking at all the buildings and people that she didn't notice Ed talking.  
  
"Okay, Al and I are going to Central Command to find out about this case.  Are you and Aura going to be okay on your own or do you want to come with us?"  
  
"No way, I'm sure Aura would rather spend her time looking around Central than sitting around in some lame government building.  We'll be fine, we'll meet you guys later on." Winry said as she took Aura by the hand and started walking in the direction of the shops.  Aura looked surprised as she waved goodbye to her brothers.  She wasn't much for shopping, but she was curious to find out just what the stores were selling.  
  
Ed watched as Winry practically dragged their sister behind her to go shopping, and laughed a little. "Okay Al, let's get this over with."  
  
They made it to Central Command and entered the building.  A majority of the damage caused during the fight with Father had been repaired, with only a few areas still off-limits for safety concerns.  The brothers made their way to Mustang's office.  Once they opened the door they saw all the familiar faces that made up Mustang's crew.  Everyone said hello and welcomed the boys back to Central, and asked how things had been going for them.  The door opened behind them and Mustang and Hawkeye entered the room.  
  
"Well Fullmetal, wasn't expecting you to beat me here, you must have really missed this place."  
  
"I'm just trying to be efficient, unlike certain slackers I know," was Edward's response.  "So what's the deal with this case anyway, and why do you need my help with it?"  
  
"Since the government restructuring, we've been attempting to make amends with the Ishvalan people and returned their holy land to them.  Recently we've had some incidents involving a small group of Ishvalan extremists.  They feel our recent attempts at peace are too little, too late and are attempting to incite another civil war.  Luckily they haven't had much luck gaining supporters, but their attacks have been quite a hindrance to the progress of our goals."  
  
"That's too bad, but I don't see a reason where I had to be called in.  I thought a man such as yourself could handle a little crowd of protesters, no problem.  Or is it harder to fight now that you don't have a wall of flames to hide behind?"  Ed looked at Mustang, who seemed shaken by that last statement.  Alphonse pulled his brother back and got directly in his face, looking very mad.  
  
"Brother!  That was uncalled for and you know it.  Have you forgotten that he's the reason I was able to get my body back?!  How could you insult someone that gave up their own alchemy to bring me back here.  How ungrateful can you be?!"  Al was usually very calm and reserved, but his voice echoed through the whole room as Edward realized his error and hung his head down in shame.  
  
"You're right Al, I shouldn't have said that.  I... I'm sorry Mustang, that was uncalled for." Edward apologized genuinely as Mustang nodded and continued on with his report.  
  
"Now that we have that little bit of drama behind us, the reason we called you in is because this group seems to be targeting places and people you've had involvement with during your adventures over the years.  We believe they're attempting to lure you out for some reason by attacking people and places you've had some kind of attachment to."  
  
"How would they have any idea who and where to attack though?  I'm not aware of any Ishvalans that would know that much about me, save for Scar.  You don't think that..."    
  
"It's not him, he's working with Major Miles to rebuild the Ishvalan culture and religion." replied Mustang, cutting Edward off.  "There was a break-in recently in the Records department.  Aside from random files, the only thing of significance that was stolen were your military records, Fullmetal.  And in those records are detailed reports of the incidents you were involved in here in Central during your service.  That's how they knew where to hit."  
  
"You do realize you just did these guys a huge favor by getting me to come to Central, right?"   
  
"Oh I'm fully aware that I'm playing you right into their hands.  But come on, I'm sure a man such as yourself can handle a little crowd of protesters, no problem.  Right, Fullmetal?"  
  
...  
  
"No way!  They have the latest Dura-Limb interchangeable bracings and fittings here!  I thought they only had these in Rush Valley!"  Winry was gushing over the latest models of automail parts and prosthetics, and didn't notice Aura wandering away to look at the other shops.  
  
 _I hope she doesn't mind, but automail isn't exactly what I wanted to spend the whole day looking at_ , she said as she walked over to the store windows, looking at the clothes, shoes, and jewelry that were in style now.  "Everything's so different from back home, it's new in a way, but old as well.  So weird..." she said aloud as she continued on.  She passed by another automail stall when she heard a voice behind her calling out.  
  
"Miss! Miss!  Automail at low prices!  See anything that interests you?" said a middle-aged man with greasy brown hair that framed his face almost like a dirty mane.  
  
Aura was caught off-guard and looked back to see if he was talking to her, and sure enough he was waving her back.  She wasn't really interested, but for some reason walked back over to the man's booth anyway.    
  
"I noticed you had several automail pieces, would you be interested in looking at some of my models?" the man said.  
  
"Sorry, I'm happy with what my mechanic's given me already, thank you."  She started to walk away when the man spoke again.  
  
"I see, you have your own mechanic, that's very nice.  I hope you don't take offense in me asking Miss, but is your mechanic going to give you back your eye as well as your arm and leg?"  He pointed to Aura's right eye, which was too badly damaged in Lucien's attack for her to regain use of it.  It remained closed with several thin jagged scars running across the socket.    
  
"Well, no.  I actually wasn't aware such an automail existed that could replace eyesight." Aura replied, surprised and wondering if it was possible to get her eyes back to normal.  
  
"You are in luck, that is the area of automail engineering in which I excel most!  Please, come closer and look at my latest model."  He brought a small box up from under his counter and opened it to reveal a piece of metal fitted with a circular vision glass in the middle, and several metal arms extending out to one side.  
  
"This is my most recent model.  The unit fits directly on top of the eye socket, and these metal branches are the bracings that attach to the side of the head to keep it in place.  A small incision is made just below the temple to connect the device to the nerves responsible for taking visual stimuli into the brain.  The device captures what you would normally see with your eye, and then transfers that image directly to your brain.  A little adjusting to make it sync in real time and that's all there is to it!"  
  
"Wow, you make it sound so easy.  Thank you for telling me about it, I'll have to ask my engineer when I see her.  I have to get going though, I'm meeting up with my brothers soon."  She was amazed at how simple this procedure seemed, and wondered why Winry hadn't suggested it before.  She thought she was up-to-date on all the latest automail trends and inventions.  
  
"Ahh, you have brothers?  Younger or older?"  
  
"Uhh... Younger... I think.  Anyway, thanks again." She started to walk away when the man grabbed her hand.  
  
"Wouldn't it be a lovely surprise for them to see you regain your full vision?  I'm sure that would make them very happy indeed.  It's such a simple procedure.  So simple in fact, that you could even give it a trial before deciding if you want to buy it.  What do you say, would you like to try it out, risk-free and see your brothers smiling faces with both eyes?"    
  
She thought it over for a moment. _Well, I imagine once they get out of their meeting they're not gonna be in a good mood.  This could be a nice way to cheer them up.  If it really is just a trial I don't see why not_.  "Okay, I'll try it!"  
  
"Excellent my dear, just come around here and I'll get started."  She went with him and just like he said, it took little time at all to attach.  There was a stinging sensation when he had to cut her and connect to the nerves, but once it was set up, she could hardly tell.  He ran a program to sync the eye to her brain's visual image and once that was done he turned it on.  She could see with both eyes again!  She stood up and walked out of the booth, looking around, amazed at how different things looked now that she had her full sight back.    
  
"Thank you so much!  This is amazing, I'll definitely be back to pay you for this.  Well, once I borrow the money from my brother that is!  Thank you!"  She ran off, excited about showing her new piece of automail to her brothers and Winry, who she's sure will want to examine and go gaga over it.  
  
As she ran off, the greasy man in the booth pulled a telephone from under the counter and picked up the receiver.  He dialed a number and spoke when the other line picked up.  
  
"The unit's attached, we're ready to begin on your orders sir."  
  
The voice at the other end of the phone replied "Excellent, start the mission, and don't fail me Mason."  
  
"Yes sir." He hung up the phone and picked up a handheld box with an on/off switch and dials attached to it.  He extended a metal antenna out of the top and switched the box on.  "Mission is a go."  
  



	15. The Visit to Central, Part Two

"There you are!  I was looking all over for you Aura, I got scared when I couldn't find you right away.  Your brother would never let me hear the end of it if I...  What is that on your face?!"  
  
"It's an optical implant, one of the engineers attached it for me as a trial to see if I liked it.  Why didn't you tell me it was possible to get vision back in my bad eye?" Aura asked.  
  
Winry examined the piece of automail closely, getting up close to Aura's face to see how it worked.  "I had read about some advancements in optical engineering, but you never complained about your eye or vision so I figured I'd wait til I could learn more before asking you about it."  
  
"Don't bother now, I got this one and it's way better than anything you could do."   
  
"That's a little rude to say Aura, I really was going to do more research on it, honest.  You really should have had me there to check out the hardware before you had it connected.  And it would've helped me to meet the engineer so I could talk to him about maintenance for it."   
  
"I'll take you back to him to do your gearhead thing once I meet up with Ed and have him buy it for me.  When are we supposed to meet him anyway, I get so sick of waiting on him all the time."  Aura was slowly getting more irritable.  Every so often, she would put her hand up to her forehead, as if she had a headache.  Winry was about to ask her if she was feeling okay when Ed and Al came into view down the main street.  Edward had his head hung low, hands shoved into his pockets, obviously sulking about something.  
  
"Hey boys, how'd the meeting go?" asked Winry, hoping that Ed wasn't going to be as grumpy as Aura had been.  
  
"You need to get out of here Winry, you and Aura.  Mustang's using me as bait to lure out the people responsible for the attacks around the city."  He looked over to Aura and noticed the piece of automail attached to her face.  "What is that Aura, an automail eye?"  
  
"Thanks for noticing, I'm going to need some money so I can pay the mechanic that made it." Aura said dryly to her brother, who looked like he'd just been slapped in the face.  
  
"What did you just say?  What makes you think I'm paying for it?  Winry, did you find that for her, I didn't even know that could be done!"  
  
"No, she found a mechanic in one of the shops that attached it for her as a trial.  I was just looking at it myself when you guys came back."  
  
"You weren't even there when she had some stranger attaching stuff to her face?!" Edward was getting just as ill-tempered as Aura was.  
  
"No Ed, I wasn't.  Last I remember, you didn't put me in charge of babysitting."  The sour mood was catching, with Winry now angry at Ed for giving her a hard time.  
  
"Oh come on now!  Would you just get over yourselves already?" Aura said, pausing for a moment to rub the side of her forehead before continuing, "Ed just shut your little trap and come with me to pay this guy for the eye.  It's the least you could do after all the shit I've put up with."  
  
Edward, Winry, and Al just stared blankly at Aura.  Edward's face turned bright red as he finally erupted at his sister.  "NOW JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING LITTLE!  I GOT NEWS FOR YOU, I'M MUCH TALLER AND OLDER THAN YOU, SO I THINK YOU SHOULD SHOW SOME RESPECT!"  After his outburst, Ed was breathing hard but had gotten his anger under control.  The same couldn't be said for Aura, however.  She stomped over to where Ed stood, grabbed him by his coat and pulled him to her face.  
  
"Do you really think any of that crap means anything to me Ed?  And respect?  You have got some nerve saying that to me.  Me of all people!"  She let go of his coat and shoved him to the ground.  A crowd of people had stopped walking and began to gather around the four of them.  
  
"Aura, please calm down, what's got you so upset?" Al asked, trying to give Ed time to get up and recover.  Aura just pushed Al away and against the side of one of the shops.  
  
"Stay out of it Al, this is between me and our brother."  She took a fighting stance and waited for Edward to get up.  Her actions were clear and concise, but her mind was chaotic.  
  
 _What's going on?  I don't know who's saying these horrible things, but this isn't me at all!  I don't want to fight, please don't make me fight my own brother!_ Her thoughts were her own, but her actions and words belonged to someone else. But how?  
  
"I'm not going to fight you Aura, I don't care how angry you get with me.  Yeah, maybe I was out of line calling for respect from you, but what you've been saying since we got back has been out of line too."  
  
"No brother, what I have to say should be clear as day to you and a long time coming.  I hate you, and I wish I had never met you.  You ruined my life and everything in it."  She began to attack Edward, who was shocked at what he just heard.  _She can't mean that, can she?  I know it's my fault she's been through so much, but why say this now?_   He barely avoided her offensive attack, still stung by the words she had said to him.  His eyes relayed how much it hurt to hear her say them.  
  
 _His eyes, he's heartbroken.  Please brother, don't believe it!  Why can't I make myself stop trying to hurt him?!_   All she could do was sit helpless as whatever had taken over her body continued to try to attack her family.  She managed to get him cornered, and began to hit him viciously.  He refused to fight back and barely defended himself against her.  
  
"Ed!  Wake up and fight back, defend yourself!" Winry cried out as Al picked her up to move her out of harm's way.  As they moved to the edge of the crowd, Al noticed a strange looking man with dirty brown hair staring at Aura and holding what appeared to be a remote or switch of some kind.  He put Winry down and watched as the man turn a dial on the remote.    
  
Just then, Aura grabbed the sides of her head and braced like she had been hit by a major migraine headache.  She grew more aggressive and began tossing Edward around.  He started to put up more of a defense, but was weary and that was making it easier for Aura to keep attacking.  She crouched over Ed, who was bleeding from several cuts around his face, and slapped him a few times to get him to focus on her.  
  
"Come on Edward!  It's no fun destroying you like this if you don't fight back!  I'm getting bored now, it's time to end this."  She picked him up by the collar of his shirt and then threw her right fist into his face, knocking him down to his knees.  She picked him up and punched him again.  He was barely conscious as she grabbed him by his throat and held him still as she prepared to finish him.  
  
Al was the one that put it together, he told Winry what to yell at Ed, and then started after Mason, the man with the remote box.  He noticed Al walking his way and dropped the box to try to fight against Al, then thought better of it and ran off with Al chasing after him.  
  
Ed was beaten bloody, gasping for breath as she held him by the neck.  She drew back her fist and smiled at him.  _NO!! STOP THIS, PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM ANYMORE!  JUST STOP!  DON'T!!!_   She could feel herself screaming out on the inside, and for a moment her body hesitated.  He looked at her in that moment and saw the eye that had stared so coldly at him earlier change into a painful and sad expression.  It was also at this time that Winry yelled to Ed what Al had told her to say.  
  
"THE EYE!  DESTROY THE EYE!  SOMEONE'S CONTROLLING HER THROUGH THAT DEVICE!"  
  
Before Aura had time to react to Winry's warning, Ed raised his fist to his sister.  "I'm...sorry..." is all he could manage to say as he smashed his fist against the automail on Aura's right eye, destroying it.  Aura let out a shriek of pain as she let go of him and dropped to the ground, holding the right side of her face with her hands.  The pain overwhelmed her as everything faded out around her.  
  
When she woke up, her head was aching, but she was back in control of her body again.  _Oh, no... Where's Ed?_   She thought as she struggled to get up.  She cried out as she saw Edward laying on the ground, passed out where she had dropped him after he broke the implant on her eye.  
  
"Oh no, what have I done?"  She fell to the ground next to Ed.  She could see he was injured badly, and in her heart and mind she just wanted to make it all better.  She put one hand on his face and lowered her head onto his chest.  Suddenly, a strange faintly purple light began to glow around her.  The light started to move, like a flow of energy, from Aura to Ed.  The wounds on his face began to heal and he started to wake up.  Al made it back just as all this happened, and watched with a quiet awe.  
  
"Al, what's going on?" said Ed weakly, as he reached up his arm for Al to pull him to his feet.  
  
"It was the implant.  Someone was controlling her actions and words through this device."  He showed Edward the box that had been left behind by the man controlling Aura.  "I chased after the guy using that, but he managed to escape, but not before dropping it.  I was worried that I wouldn't get to him in time so I told Winry to tell you to destroy the implant just in case he tried to get Aura to kill you."  
  
"I knew that couldn't have been her saying and doing all those things on her own."  That's when Ed saw her laying on the ground near him.  "Aura!  Did I knock her out after I hit her in the eye?"  
  
"No, I'm not sure exactly how, and she probably won't know either.  But she managed to heal your injuries by using what I can only assume was her own life energy.  She passed out just as you were coming to, so that's how I made the connection.  We should get her to the hospital though."  
  
"Yeah, definitely, let's go!"  Edward and Al picked Aura up and carried her off to get her help.


	16. The Hooded Man Appears

Mason ran into a side alley and waited a moment before looking around the corner.  No footsteps, the boy had stopped chasing him.  His boss was going to be upset about them finding the mind control device, but he was sure before he took off that the girl he was controlling had finished the job he had been paid to do.  
  
 _Heh, piece of cake.  I'll circle around and check it out before I head back._   He came up the back way to where the fight happened, and saw the girl leaning over the boy.  He noticed a weird purple light shining on them, and thought he imagined it at first.  When he saw Elric get up without any injuries, he was surprised.  "Did she just heal him?" Mason said to himself, "I better get back and let the boss know."  He left town and followed the directions he'd been given to where his boss was running his operation.  
  
As he entered the run-down building, he saw his boss seated at a table looking over papers and maps.  The guy always had a hooded coat on, so he never saw his face.  But that didn't bother Mason, he was paid to do a job, not ask questions.  
  
"Heya boss, I got good news and bad news.  The good news is that the mind control device you made worked perfectly.  She beat that kid to a bloody pulp."  
  
"Did she kill him?" said the hooded man.  
  
"Well, that's the bad news.  See, this guy spotted me using the remote box and started after me, so I had to take off.  When I came back to check on things, that girl was hoverin' over the boy and it looked like she was fixing him up with some kinda weird purple light.  He got up like nothing had happened to him.  So I figured I'd get back here and tell ya what I saw."  
  
"Well, that is disappointing.  You failed your mission to kill Edward Elric.  But yet, this new information may be useful after all.  You may go now Mason, I believe our business deal has been concluded."  The man threw a small bag at Mason, and when he caught it, the unmistakable sound of coins rattled in his hand.  
  
"Th-thanks boss, good luck trying to get the kid."  As Mason reached the door, the man stood up and lifted his arm up and out from under his cloak.  Long black shadowy spikes darted out and stabbed through Mason's back and pinned him to the door.    
  
He was gasping for breath as his boss spoke again.  "I warned you not to fail me, Mason.  I don't tolerate failure."  The sharp spears retracted and Mason fell to the floor.  
  
" _Now_ our business is concluded.  Looks like I'll have to use my back-up plan."  
  
...  
  
Aura woke with an aching head.  She pushed the pillow against her head to ease the pain but it was no use.  
  
"Ahh, you're awake.  I brought you some medicine, it should help with the pain."  Al's voice softly filled the room.  She sat up, took the pills, and asked what had happened.    
  
"Well, the automail eye was actually a mind-control device.  Someone was using you to fight and hurt Ed."  
  
"Where is he?  Is he okay?" Aura worried once she remembered being helpless to stop herself from hurting her brother.  
  
"He's fine, that's the strange thing.  Somehow you were able to heal his injuries.  This... light flowed from you to him and he got better.  Judging by how weak you were afterwards, I'm betting it was your own life force that was healing him."  
  
"I...I don't know how.  I just kept thinking that I wanted him to be alright.  Where are we now?"  
  
"We're just outside of Central, in a town called Kanama.  Ed says we'll be safe here while we work out what's going on." said Al, who turned to the door to see Winry walk in.   
  
"Hey Aura, how are you doing?  You feeling better?" said Winry.  
  
"I'm okay.  I want to apologize to you guys.  What I was saying... it wasn't me..."  
  
"We know that, you were forced to say those things, so you don't need to apologize." Winry said as Al nodded.  
  
"Yeah, but you didn't see the look in Ed's eyes when I said that I hated him.  I watched his heart break and there was nothing I could do.  I don't know how I'm supposed to face him after that."  
  
"Well I imagine it won't be much different from any other time you see me." said Edward as he walked into the room.  "Like Winry said, there's no need to apologize, we all know what was going on and we don't hold any of it against you.  So don't worry about me, alright?  We actually have a bigger issue to deal with."  Edward shared what Mustang had briefed him about, regarding the recent attacks and destruction aimed to lure him to Central.  
  
Winry was the first to speak. "So how do we deal with this group?  Was this attack using Aura something they had planned?"  
  
"It was too well-planned to be anyone but them.  Though now I'm not entirely convinced these are Ishvalans we're dealing with.  That equipment was too advanced to be anything they would use.  I'm not even sure the military has technology that advanced."  
  
Just then there was an explosion nearby that shook the house they were in.  Laughter filled the air outside the house they were staying in, and another blast went off, even closer than before.  Everyone went outside to see what was going on.  A thin, pale guy was out in the street carrying a large bag.  He laughed as he lit another fuse and sent it rolling towards them.  
  
"Oh yeah?  You'd better have something better than this in mind or else this is going to be one boring fight." yelled Ed as he ran towards the bomb and kicked it back towards the man.  The man kicked it back to Ed, who wasn't expecting to have his own idea countered.  He screamed as he kicked it down the street away from the crowd of people, where it went off, leaving a crater in the dirt road.  
  
"That was fun, I haven't played kickball in years!  Let's do it again, shall we?" said the bomber, as he grabbed another bundle of explosives and set the fuse alight and threw it towards them again.  
  
"Not this time, pal.  Edward clapped his hands together and touched the ground just in front of the bomb.  A mound of dirt shaped like a hand lifted the bomb up and flung it into the air, where it blew up without damaging anything.  
  
"Aww, you're no fun, I guess I'll just have to skip to my finale."  He pulled a small stick out from his coat pocket and pushed down on the top button.  The ground rumbled as several explosions went off around them at once.  Pieces of the buildings began to fall around them.  As they ran from the blasts, a chunk of stone struck Edward's shoulder causing him to fall.  Al and Winry ran over to help him up, with Aura following them.    
  
Debris continued to fall as the four of them huddled against one building with the taller one next to them threatening to come down.  Edward leaned against the wall, holding his shoulder in pain.  The bomber watched them as the building began to crumble and fall.  
  
 _This can't be the end!  I have to do something, we need a shelter to get under, and quick!_ Aura thought to herself as she got in front of her brothers and Winry.  They yelled at her as they watched the building fall down towards them.  They all shut their eyes and braced for the impact, but after a few seconds passed, nothing happened.  They opened their eyes to see Aura with her arms outstretched guarding them.  The wreckage hovered over them, stopped by some kind of barrier that Aura was controlling.  
  
"Whoa, Aura, how are you doing that?" Edward said, shocked at what he was seeing.  
  
"I...don't know.  But it'd be a good idea to move out of the way, it's...a little...heavy." she gasped as she strained to maintain the shield that she had somehow conjured out of thin air.  Once they were out of the way, Aura moved her arms in a throwing motion, and the shield and the scrap on it fell off in that direction.  Ed and Al rushed over to support their weakened sister.  Then they heard the laughter again.  
  
"That was fun to watch, but fun time is over, I have a job to finish."  He pulled out a larger bomb this time, and lit the fuse.  At that moment, a gunshot screamed out from nearby, and the fuse was cut in half, extinguishing the flame.  They looked in the direction of the shot, and could think of only one person that could pull off that shot, Hawkeye.  The bomber was staring at his broken fuse when he heard a gun being cocked behind him.  Mustang held his gun to the man's head as he spoke, "that's enough!  Put the bomb down, you're under arrest!"  The man did so, and Mustang moved aside to let his subordinates handle the arrest.  
  
"So, that was an interesting display I happened to see just now.  Am I to assume the alchemy training has been going better than expected Fullmetal?"  
  
"You son of a bitch!  You knew something like this was going to happen, didn't you?  You put my family in danger to catch some criminal!" Edward was ready to have it out, but Aura interrupted.  
  
"Sir, I'm not sure how I made that shield.  I'm not sure what I'm capable of anymore."  
  
"What I've seen and heard about your abilities... It may be a good idea if you came with us for a while."  
  
"WHAT?!  Don't think for a second I'm going to let my little sister get taken away to be poked and prodded like some kind of lab animal!"  
  
"Ed, it's okay, I was hoping he'd take me with them.  I have no idea how I'm doing these strange things.  I'm hoping they can help me find out.  So please, just calm down."  
  
"What are you saying?  Don't go with them Aura, we can work this out on our own, please just come back home with us."  
  
"I'm sorry brother, I feel this is the best way to learn who I am.  Or what."  She walked away, following Hawkeye to a nearby car.    
  
Mustang was still standing nearby, and Ed walked over and pointed his finger at him, "I'm warning you Mustang, if I find out that anyone hurts her, I will bring you pain you can't imagine."  
  
"Fullmetal, as long as you're around, I'll always know the pain you can bring.  But let's be clear here.  I have a feeling something happened to that girl when she came through the Gate.  I want to find out what's going on, but I have to be sure that she won't become a danger to anyone, including herself.  Don't kid yourself Edward, if she's capable of mass destruction, and can't control that power, we'll have to keep her restrained.  You have my word that we won't do anything to harm her, not until we have no other option."  
  
"It won't have to come to that, I know she wouldn't hurt anybody.  Come on Al, Winry, we're going back to Central.  We have a case to solve." 


	17. The Bar

"Aww c'mon!  It's been three weeks since you practically kidnapped my sister, and now that we can visit you say she's not here?!"  Edward had been hoping to see how Aura had been doing since she decided to go with Mustang to help her learn more about her abilities.  He had been spending most of his time helping to repair the damaged buildings from the bomb attack and wanted a break from that with his family.  
  
"Sorry, I can't say for sure where she went off to, but I'm sure she didn't go too far." said the military clerk in charge of the building Aura was staying in.  
  
"Yeah, should be real easy to find her in the largest city in Amestris..." Ed muttered as he walked out of the building.  He met up with Al and Winry who had been waiting outside for him.  
  
"Was she still busy?" asked Al.  
  
"They lost her, bunch of sorry incompetent jerks."   
  
"Really?  How did they lose her?" Winry asked.  
  
"Well, they said she went out on her own, but couldn't say where she was going.  So they may as well have lost her considering she doesn't know where she's going." Ed had started to worry, he didn't want her to end up getting hurt again like the last time she went off on her own.  
  
"We can split up and look around, Winry and I will go back the way we came, and you can keep going towards the center of town.  We'll meet up here around sunset, okay?"  
  
"Sure Al, you guys be careful, see you later."  Ed walked off with his hands in his pockets, hoping his sister was alright.  
  
...  
  
Aura had waited to see if her brothers were going to come to her place to spend the day together, but she had gotten tired of waiting and stepped out.  She had been stuck indoors for so long and just wanted to get out of that building for a while.  She was looking at the shops along the main road when her attention was drawn to a small tavern between two clothing stores that looked interesting.  
  
"Hmm... 'The Stray Dog' huh?  Well, I've been old enough to drink for a couple years now, a few beers won't hurt.  I think I've more than earned them."  She pulled open the wooden door and walked into a dimly lit room with several tables on either side.  The main bar was against the back wall, several people had taken up residence on the stools, with a few vacant spots towards the end of the counter.  Aura took a seat by the end.  
  
"What'll it be sweetheart?" said the bartender, an older gentleman.  
  
"I'll have whatever's on tap, please."  She fidgeted in her seat a little, nervous about her first bar visit, but glad she was doing something other than training.  The bartender poured her a pint glass of a light golden beer, then went to take care of his other patrons.  
  
A couple young military cadets were seated in a table to the side, when Aura walked in she got their attention.  
  
"Hey Otto, isn't that the girl that's been training in Central Command the past few weeks?  She's actually kinda cute when she's in civilian clothes" said the taller, brown haired guy, watching as she walked over and sat at the bar.  
  
"Yeah, but that's Fullmetal's sister, I don't know if I'd get too involved with her, Dail."  
  
"Who's sister?  Well she can't be that bad, come on, I wanna say hello."  Dail finished his beer, slid out of his seat and walked over to the bar, with his buddy Otto in tow.  He leaned against the bar and ordered another beer and waited until he got it before addressing Aura.  
  
"Well hello there, how are you doing today?"   
  
Aura was daydreaming over her empty glass and hadn't noticed the two boys approach her at the bar, so the sudden greeting surprised her.  
  
"Oh!  Hello, sorry I wasn't paying attention, you guys surprised me."  
  
"That's okay doll, just thought I'd say hello.  It's a shame a beauty like you is here alone.  Would you like me to keep you company, sweetie?"  
  
Suddenly the temperature spiked, heating up so quickly that the beer glass Dail had been holding shattered, beer spilling all over him.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!  I'm soaked!  Did...did you do that?  Why'd it get so hot in here?" Dail said, frantically grabbing napkins from the counter.  
  
"Oh no... I am so sorry, I didn't mean to..."  
  
"What is _wrong_ with you?  Geez, let's go Otto, I wasted enough time on this _freak_."  He shook out the remaining beer from his shirt, splattering Aura in the process, laid some money on the counter and walked out.  
  
"I'm sorry about them honey, here take this rag and dry yourself off.  Would you like another beer?" asked the bartender.  
  
"Sure, I think I'd like something a little stronger to go with it, please."  She had sunk down in her chair, obviously upset about the way she had just been treated.  _How should I have handled that?  I've never had anyone talk to me like that before.  He was right though, I am a freak._   The bartender placed a shot glass full of a deep amber liquid in front of her, accompanied by another beer.  She didn't hesitate to drink both.  She had been getting better at controlling some of her abilities, but right now she didn't care about the room turning cold.  It matched the way she felt on the inside at the moment.  
  
...  
  
Edward was walking down the sidewalk, when two guys spilled out of what looked like a bar.  The taller guy looked soaked and angry.  He was talking loudly to his friend while walking the same way he was heading.  
  
"Can you believe that chick, man?  I try to complement her and she just goes and blasts some kinda heat wave.  I see what you meant about avoiding her, she must not be the only freak in her family.  Whoever that Fullmetal guy is, I feel bad for him to have a sister like that."  
  
Edward had heard enough, and was about to chase them down, but decided he should go to Aura instead.  He went back to the door they had come out from, and walked in.  That familiar chill in the air greeted him, and he saw his sister slumped down on a bar stool.  He walked over to the bar and took the seat next to her.  
  
"Hey Aura, we've been looking all over for you, what's going on?  I heard some guys talking outside, did someone hurt you?  Turn up the heat while you're at it."  
  
She looked at her brother and apologized for the cold and started to warm the room up.  Her lessons had been working out well, at least in that area, and soon it was back to normal in the bar.  
  
"Now, why don't you tell me what happened, and why are you here anyway?  I didn't think you'd be much of a drinker."  
  
She told him how she ended up in the bar, and what the boy had said to her and the accident that ensued after that.  
  
"I didn't know what to do, I've never had anyone talk to me like that before.  I was taken off-guard, and I guess I just went off.  It's my fault, I don't even know why I bother, Ed.  That guy was right, all I'll ever be to anyone here is a freak.  Something unexplainable, something that shouldn't exist, a glitch in the system."    
  
"Don't say stuff like that Aura, you belong here with us.  Whatever happened to you in the Gate will get figured out, don't worry.  And besides, we're all freaks in this family.  I'm half-automail,  Al was a suit of armor.  Hell, Hohenheim is a philosopher's stone.  But you have to own what you are, and not be ashamed of it."  
  
"You're right, brother.  I have been getting better with controlling my... well, I guess I'll call them glitches, since they don't seem to be anything normal.  Heh, maybe you should start calling me 'The Glitch Alchemist', huh Ed."  She had started to cheer up since he came in to talk to her.  She finished her drink and got the bartender's attention for a refill.  
  
"You don't want an official title, Aura.  You see how annoying it is for me to be involved with the State.  And just how many of those have you had anyway?"  
  
"I was only joking Ed, I don't wanna join the military, I only want to learn to use my abilities properly.  And I... I actually can't recall what number beer this is.  Why, d'you wanna try to catch up to me?"  
  
...  
  
Winry and Al waited until it got dark where they were supposed to meet up with Ed, then they decided to walk the way he had gone to look for Aura.  They were worried about the two of them, especially since Edward was the main target of whoever was behind Aura's automail sabotage and the bombings.  They were walking past a bar called 'The Stray Dog' when Al heard Ed's voice from within.  They walked into the bar to see Ed and Aura slouched down at a table, drinking glasses of beer and talking loudly.    
  
"Edward!  Are you drunk?!" said Winry, surprised to see him in such a state.  
  
Ed turned in his chair, saw Winry and a big smile came across his face.  He attempted to stand up to greet her, but ended up tripping over the chair leg and stumbled across the floor and into her arms.  She barely managed to keep the two of them standing, and let Ed go as soon as he was steady on his feet.  
  
"Hello Winry, I'm so happy to see you!  Come on in and have a seat.  We can get you beer too!"  He motioned her towards the table and the chair that had just tripped him.  
  
"I think I'll pass Ed, we should really get going.  It's getting late and Aura has to be back to her dorm soon."  She looked over at Aura, who was chatting with Al, who had asked her how much they'd had to drink.  
  
"Well, I kinda lost count by the time Ed got here.  But I know since he's been here, Ed's only had two beers.  He's such a lightweight, look at him!"  She giggled uncontrollably, and Al joined her in laughing soon after.  Ed had managed to get Winry in a bear hug, and was swaying back and forth with her, slow dancing with no music.  Despite his unsteady feet, she looked comfortable in his arms.  She was even smiling until she noticed the others watching them.  
  
"This is nice, we should d-do this more offen, Winry.  But I think I need to lay down, I'm starting to not feel so good."    
  
"I know what that means.  Time to go guys, I am not gonna let him get sick on me!"  She put Ed's arm over her shoulder and helped him walk out of the bar.  Al offered to help Aura walk out, but she managed it on her own.  
  
They arrived at Aura's dorm building, and she said her goodbyes to everyone.  She noticed that Ed was holding Winry close, and saw him whisper something in Winry's ear that made her blush deep red.  She smiled and waved goodbye and walked into the building. 

_That was just the kind of day I needed, even if it did start out a bit rough, it's good to know my family is there to keep my spirits up.  We really need to work on my little brother's tolerance though._


	18. The Briefing

"Wake up sleepy-head!" said a cheerful Aura, as she tried to get Ed out of bed.  The beer he had the night before was taking it's toll, he was even grumpier than usual upon waking.  
  
"Ahh, go away!  Can't you let me slowly die in peace?" he replied as he tried to stuff his head into his pillow to drown out the light and noise that was making his head throb.  
  
"Don't be such a drama queen, you're not dying, just hungover.  And there's no time to baby it today, so lets get going, some breakfast will help you feel better."  She left his room with the door open, and soon the smell of food coming from the kitchen reached Ed's nose and brought his head out from under his covers.  
  
"What's the big rush today anyway, is there somewhere we need to be?" asked Ed after sitting down to the table of their rented room and filled his plate with eggs, bacon, and sausage.  Al was already there and eating.  Winry had gone out to handle some errands and had eaten earlier.  
  
"You really forgot?  Mustang wants us at a meeting today for an update on the case.  They're also supposed to have information on Aura's tests as well." Al told him as they ate.  
  
"Oh, well I guess we should be there."  Ed was nervous now, and he wasn't sure if it was about the case involving him, or what they were going to find out about Aura.  
  
...  
  
They arrived at Central Command, Winry had met them there, and all four of them walked into the briefing room that Mustang had set up.  They noticed all of Mustang's unit was present, as well as a few other officers they didn't recognize.  They quickly took their seats and focused on Mustang, who stood at the front of the room.    
  
"Now that we're all here, let's begin with this update involving the series of bombings and attacks around Central.  The most recent attack three weeks ago involved a mad bomber that rigged several buildings in Kanama to explode, in an attempt on Edward Elric's life.  We managed to take the bomber alive, but interrogations haven't turned up much as of yet."  
  
"Could this bomber be the one that organized all these attacks?" asked one of the officers in the back of the room.  
  
"No, this appears to only be a henchman.  Based on the statements from several witnesses, he had made mention of 'having a job to finish', which one could assume meant that he had been hired for the job.  He doesn't seem to have had any previous interactions with Fullmetal, so it's safe to say he was only a pawn."  
  
"Was it the same person that used Edward's sister Aura as a weapon against him?  Did that guy ever get found?"   
  
"This wasn't the same guy.  Alphonse had a good look at the guy while chasing him, and Al couldn't ID the bomber as the same man.  However, we did discover a body in an abandoned building near the edge of town.  The man appeared to have been impaled straight through, to the point of being 'nailed' to the door.  Alphonse IDed this man as the one responsible for using the mind control device on Aura.  I've seen those kind of wounds before, from a homunculus known as Lust."  
  
Sounds of gasping and surprise filled the room.  A homunculus?  It wasn't possible for any of them to still be around, right?  
  
"Okay settle down, this could just be a copycat, Lust was killed during the fight in the third laboratory."  
  
Al remembered that fight, he had been protecting Hawkeye while Mustang repeatedly set fire to Lust until her philosopher's stone used up all its energy and turned to dust.  She was gone, no doubt about that.  
  
Ed spoke up, "The guy that was found dead was the first one paid to kill me, and this bomb weirdo was brought in for a second attempt.  Apparently whoever hired these guys doesn't like when they don't finish the job.  Since you don't seem to mind using people as bait, Mustang, why don't we let the bomb freak know what happened to his boss' previous employee.  He's been in the papers for weeks due to the bombing, so his boss is bound to know he's still alive and will want to change that fact.  He'll probably cave and tell us what we need to know.  And hey, if the big boss shows up too, two birds with one bluff."  
  
"I agree, that's our best play at this point.  We'll leak it out to the media that he told us everything about his boss.  That should tempt the guy to finish things personally.  Bad guys like this guy hate a rat more than a failure I'm sure.  Okay, we'll roll with Edward's plan.  I want to see this guy's confession in the papers before nightfall.  That's it for the briefing, everyone else work on setting up a network of surveillance so we can know when this guy will make a move."    
  
The people in the room got up and started leaving, murmuring to each other as they left.  Ed, Al, Aura, and Winry were about to step out when Mustang got their attention and waved them to the front of the room.  
  
"I still need to talk to you guys, about Aura's testing.  We ran some pretty advanced tests, but we weren't able to come up with any solid explanation for your...condition.  I know you were hoping to get some answers, I'm sorry we weren't able to provide any.  You've made significant progress in being able to control these abilities however, so at least we were able to help you in that regard."  
  
"So there's nothing showing why I'm so messed up?  There has to be some way to know why I keep having these glitches happen to me.  You've already said that they shouldn't be possible for someone that isn't formally trained in alchemy."  
  
Mustang replied, "That's true, it shouldn't be possible for you to just instantly conjure up a force field, or heal someone using your own lifeforce.  If you want to call them glitches, then that's fine.  But I see them as gifts, look at the lives you've saved with them."    
  
"Yeah, but look at the damage I did when someone else was controlling me.  I'm beginning to understand though.  Your people couldn't identify anything about me, because I was never meant to exist at all.  Think about it.  Hohenheim should have never been able to cross into my world.  But he did, and I was born as a result of his presence there.  I'm a freak accident that shouldn't have happened.  My abilities aren't the glitch here, I am!"  Aura yelled wildly, and she ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face.  Edward went after her, but Winry stopped him.  
  
"Let her be Ed, she was hoping to finding out more about herself, she just needs to some time alone to work things out.  There will be time to comfort her later, when she's ready."  
  
"You said they couldn't find any solid explanation...  What did you mean by that?" Ed asked Mustang.  
  
"Some of the scientists had a theory, but it was dismissed without much thought.  They thought of your father's status as a philosophers stone, and how it could have been possible for Aura to have inherited that somehow.  And it lay dormant until she was sent through the Gate.  But they felt there were too many unknowns, especially with the nature of the Gate itself unexplainable, so they let it be.  I didn't think she needed to hear it, but I would have told her if she had asked me like you did just now.  I'm not trying to hide anything from her."  
  
"Yeah, sure.  But there may be something about that theory that's correct.  When I brought her through the Gate, Truth told me that my toll was paid by Aura.  We first believed that it was due to her ability to change temperature through her mood that Truth considered her worthy of a toll.  But now, if it's possible that she inherited a portion of Hohenheim's philosophers stone, that would perfectly explain how she was able to get me through the Gate."  
  
"Indeed, Fullmetal.  And if she was then sent through the Portal to see the Truth, her stone could have reacted wildly with the Gate itself.  You need to ask her what she saw while she was there.  That may be the explanation she's looking for."  
  
Ed nodded in agreement.  "Let's go find her guys!"  Edward took off out of the room, with the rest of the group following him.  It saddened him that she got so worked up over the news.  And for her to say that she was an accident that shouldn't have existed...  He didn't realize how much her situation was really bothering her.  He felt bad for not noticing, even if she had given no obvious clues.  
  
She hadn't gone far.  There was a small park area off to the side of the courtyard where people could sit and relax.  She was seated on a bench, cross-legged with her right arm rubbing her left shoulder.  Edward sat down next to her, while Al and Winry stood behind the bench.  
  
"It's going to rain, my shoulder's aching." was all Aura said after he had sat down.  
  
"Yeah, I know, the weather changes still bother my stumps too, the discomfort will go away soon though.  Look, there was more that Mustang was going to say before you left, and we think we may have a lead on what happened with you.  But we have to ask, what did you see after I was pushed through my Gate and you were alone with Truth?"  
  
She told them about seeing the world's knowledge in the Portal, and the purple shaded lightning that came from her while she was in it.  Then she described the way the Gate looked with the jagged cracks glowing across it.  Edward shared with her what Mustang had said after she ran out of the room.  
  
"It pains me to say it, but Mustang was right.  Your body had a unique reaction to the Gate and Truth, and that purple lightning is the source of your abilities.  We think you may have inherited some portion of Hohenheim's philosopher's stone.  Which would explain how you were able to act as a toll for me at the Gate."  
  
"That sounds like a reasonable explanation of why I am the way I am.  I guess since both of your parents are from this world, that reaction didn't occur for you and Al at the Gate.  But since I'm 'half here and half there', I'm different.  So where do we go from here, brother?  I wanted to know, and now that I do I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."  
  
"I'm not sure Aura, but whatever happens next, we'll always be here to stand with you."   
  
They were interrupted by a military cadet that approached them.  "Fullmetal?  I have news from Brigadier General Mustang.  He says that the interrogation of the suspect according to your plan has been successful.  He says that you need to hear what he's saying.  You and your siblings.  It's rather urgent, sir."  
  
"Okay, let him know we're on the way, thanks." Edward stood up from the bench and offered a hand to Aura, who took it and pulled herself up to stand with him.  "Let's go see what is so urgent that we all need to know."


	19. The Plan

The four of them walked back into the Central Command building and followed the officer to the interrogation rooms.  The bomber was sitting in the first room.  He looked rather nervous, nothing like the clearly insane and sporadic madman that had attacked them with explosives weeks earlier.  
  
"So I guess the idea of his boss coming after him got him spooked, huh?" Edward said to the officer that had brought them to the meeting area that adjoined the interrogation rooms.  There was a conference table nearby, and a clear view of the first room and the very scared man inside it.  
  
"Apparently so.  He's been singing like a bird ever since the General told him what happened to the other guy... Mason I believe was his name?  Anyway, General Mustang will be back shortly, he'll tell you the rest." The guard said as he bowed out and went back to his post.  
  
"I wonder what that guy could possibly know that would involve all of us?" said Al as they sat down at the conference table to wait for Mustang.  
  
"I dunno, but it must be something important, maybe he knows who's targeting Ed and why.  It'd be nice to get that figured out so we can work on catching the guy." Aura said, hoping they'd find out something that would keep her brother safe.  Mustang walked back into the room at that point, and took a seat at the head of the table.  
  
"That idea of yours didn't take long to work, Fullmetal.  The suspect started talking as soon as he found out what his boss did to the last guy that failed him.  He filled us in on details regarding the first attacks before you arrived in Central, confirming our suspicions that he was the one creating the bombs used for those attacks.  He also informed us of the next possible target.  He identified Mrs. Hughes' residence as the next location to hit to draw you out Ed."  
  
Ed, Al, and Winry all gasped, their faces showing both anger and fear.  Aura hadn't met Mrs. Hughes yet, or her little daughter Elicia, but her brothers and Winry had told her how her late husband Maes had done so much to help them in their quest, even to his death.  She was upset as well, if only because her family cared so much for the Hughes family.  
  
"That son of a bitch!  How dare he threaten to hurt Mrs. Hughes and her daughter!  Only a coward would do such a thing, it's making me sick just thinking about it.  Are they safe, Mustang?" Edward angrily answered back after letting the news set in.  
  
"Of course, they were moved secretly to one of our safe-houses as soon as he told us.  I just came back from confirming they made it there safely.  This leaves us with an opportunity though.  I wanted to run it by you all before we decide to take advantage of it."  
  
"Okay, I'm listening." said Edward as he leaned in to concentrate on the General's plan.  
  
"We hadn't managed to get the fake confessions into the paper by the time the bomber told us this plan.  So as far as the big boss is concerned, his henchman hasn't told us anything yet.  Which means that his boss doesn't know that we're aware of his next target.  My idea, is to get someone set up in that apartment and catch whoever tries to follow through with the attack.  If we're lucky it may even be the head guy himself."  
  
"So your plan is to set up a crew in the apartment and catch them whenever they try to bomb it?  Sounds like a good idea to me, what are we waiting for?" Edward was getting anxious, he wanted to catch the bastard that wanted to put his close friends in harm's way.  
  
"We have to make this as inconspicuous as possible.  This guy may have surveillance on the apartment, so we have to get this plan into motion very carefully and without suspicion.  This is why I asked for all of you to be here.  From a distance, Aura looks very similar to Mrs. Hughes..."  
  
"Whoa... hold it right there Mustang.  You want to use Aura as bait?  No way, that is NOT happening!"  
  
"ED!  What gives you the right to say what I can and can't do to help with this situation?!" Aura blurted out angrily.  "I may not have met Mrs. Hughes or her daughter yet, but I know how much you and everyone here care about them.  If Mustang thinks that I can be of some help to stop this madness, then dammit I'm going to do my part like everyone else!"  
  
"But Aura... we don't know what this guy's capable of, he could kill you before he even realizes you're not Mrs. Gracia!" Edward replied.  
  
"Well then I guess we're on an equal playing field, because he won't know what I'm capable of either," said Aura, "I've been thinking about something.  I'm able to use my life energy to heal other people, right?  I'm thinking, what if I get tangled up with this guy, and I drain his energy and weaken him enough to bring him down."  
  
"I don't think so Aura, it isn't a sure thing that you can do that.  Besides my plan is to just use you as a stand-in for Mrs. Hughes, not to have you catch them yourself.  We'll just have you disguised as her, and have you follow her normal routine so anyone watching won't suspect anything's wrong.  I'd like to ask for you to have a small part in this too, Winry.  I'm aware you normally visit her whenever you're in Central, and I'd like you to keep that routine going if you're up for it."  
  
"WAIT, WINRY TOO?!  Now you're crossing the line, Roy..." Edward was getting very mad at the thought of Winry being brought into a potentially dangerous mission.  He was already pissed that Aura was agreeing to risk her safety, but not Winry too.  If something bad happened, he didn't think his heart could handle losing either of them.  
  
"Edward, I suggest you calm yourself down quickly or you won't be a part of this mission at all!" Mustang yelled back at Ed.  "I'm not going to allow either of the girls the chance of getting hurt.  Winry will only have a small part to play in this, she'd only be meeting Aura at an outdoor restaurant near the Hughes' residence.  Something she and Mrs. Hughes would normally do.  It'd be a public place, with plenty of areas for us to keep an eye on them and make a move if necessary.  Then all Aura would have to do is walk back to the apartment, and from there we'd have the apartment set up to move in as soon as anyone tries to break in."  
  
"Yeah, but where is Aura going to be once she goes back to the apartment?  You're going to keep her there until the guy shows up, aren't you?" asked Edward.  
  
"Yes, we'll have to let her stay in the apartment and keep acting out Mrs. Hughes' normal routine.  It can't look like anyone else is in the apartment with her.  We've already made arrangements to have it look like Elicia is away visiting her grandparents, so we won't have to explain why her daughter isn't there.  It may also make this person want to make a move if he knows Gracia will be alone."  
  
"I don't know, I don't like the thought of Aura being put in this position.  It's asking too much, there has to be other officers that can look like Gracia, there has to be!" Edward was still against his sister doing this mission.  Surprisingly, even Al was agreeing with him, he feared what could happen to his sister as well.  
  
"I wish I could say yes, but we don't have the time to waste on finding and setting someone else up with the information.  We have to get moving on this before our window of opportunity is lost.  So, Aura and Winry, are you okay with being a part of this mission?"  
  
"YES!" said both girls in unison.  They were both eager to do what they could to stop whoever was causing so much destruction and terror.  Edward opened his mouth to protest, but this time it was Al that silenced him.  As much as Al was against them being put into danger, he understood they just wanted to do what they could to help.  
  
"Alright then, Aura, you follow Hawkeye, she'll get you up to speed on Mrs. Hughes' normal routines and get you dressed for the part.  Winry, we'll let you know when to meet her at the restaurant and any other details for that meet when we're closer to starting the mission.  Ed and Al, you'll stay with the crew running surveillance, but it is essential that you both stay out of sight.  This guy better not even get a whiff of the oil in your metal arm, you got me Fullmetal?"  
  
"Yeah, I got it.  Can we talk to our sister before you send her away?" Edward grumbled as he spoke to Mustang.  
  
"Of course, but please keep it brief.  I'm going to get ready myself, this is going to be a long evening."  As Mustang got up and walked past the room holding the bomber, he struck the two-way glass hard three times, simulating gunshots.  Fear struck the man inside the room as he panicked and ducked under the table, screaming like a child.  Mustang smiled at this, then continued on his way.  
  
Aura walked over to her brothers and began to speak, "Look, I know you guys are going to try to talk me out of it, but it's not going to work.  My mind's made up on this."    
  
"I...we know that.  You wouldn't be our sister if you weren't stubborn after all.  We just want you to be safe.  Just...please don't take any unnecessary risks.  I don't like the spot they're putting you in, but I respect your decision and resolve to play it out.  Take care of yourself sis, and don't worry, if you get in a jam, we'll all be nearby to help."  Edward knew he couldn't convince Aura to change her mind.  He only spoke the truth, which is what he felt she needed to hear at that moment.  
  
Aura brought them both together and hugged the two of them close.  "Don't worry, I'll be fine.  We'll be done with this mess soon, and then we can go home.  I'll be back to making you guys breakfast before you know it, little brother."  She held onto Ed a little longer as he squirmed around after being called her little brother again, then let him go.  He was about to let another tantrum out when she spoke again.  "I love you guys, my family.  I'll be back soon."  And with that, she turned away and went to find Hawkeye.  Edward's 'little' rant died before it could fall out of his mouth.  His sister had nearly brought him to tears with her last words.  Al put an arm over his brother's shoulder, and reassured him that it was going to work out just fine.  But his eyes had gotten misty with tears as well.


	20. The End Begins Now

"You're not going to cut my hair are you?  I'd be really upset, I've enjoyed letting it grow out." Aura lamented to Riza Hawkeye as she was helping her get dressed for her role as Gracia Hughes' body double.  
  
"That won't be necessary, you'll be wearing a wide-brimmed hat so you can hide your hair in it.  But we'll style some hair to cover your right eye, just in case."  Riza answered, mildly amused that the girl would be concerned about something as simple as her hair.  
  
"Yeah, I understand.  And I suppose the clothes will have to hide my automail too."  She had never been ashamed of her automail arm and leg.  While her brother tended to keep his hidden, she never felt the need to cover them up, opting for shorts, sleeveless tops, or sundresses.    
  
"I'm afraid so, but it won't be anything too bad.  I know it's warm outside but a light sweater and a long flowing skirt won't be too uncomfortable, and it's normal attire for Mrs. Hughes as well."  Riza continued her task of getting Aura ready for their mission, laying out the clothes on the bed near Aura and reading out loud the normal routines that Gracia said she did in a normal day.  It sounded so simple, but Riza couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about how suddenly this plan had come together.  A small part of her did feel it wasn't right to subject this young girl to such a potentially dangerous task.  But she could understand why Aura wanted to do what she could to help.  She just hoped it would go according to plan and that they catch their culprit without any casualties.  
  
As she finished dressing and Riza helped with the hat and the hair covering her eye, Aura looked in the mirror and saw that Mustang had been right.  The resemblance between herself and Mrs. Gracia was very close, and to anyone that didn't know Gracia well enough, she could definitely pass as her twin.    
  
"Miss Hawkeye, I was wondering..."  
  
"Please, you can call me Riza, Aura, there's no need to be formal.  What did you want to know?"  
  
"Riza, I was hoping that you could do me a favor.  Please keep an eye on my little brothers.  I've been worried about them, especially Edward, ever since this situation started with someone wanting to kill him.  I was hoping to stay close to them, but during this operation I won't be able to.  So please, make sure they don't get hurt.  They're the only family I have left."  
  
Riza was shaken by the girl's words.  It reminded her of how she had been, when she was first asked by Mustang to be his bodyguard.  She knew what it felt like to want to protect someone who meant so much to you, at any cost.  She also realized that Aura may have been making this her last request, not expecting to come back from this alive.  "Yes, I'll do everything in my power to see that they avoid coming to any harm.  But I'll expect you to take that role back over yourself once this is over."  
  
"I'll be more than happy to, thanks Riza." said Aura, smiling.  
  
"Okay, I think we're done here, let's meet up with the rest of the team."  
  
...  
  
Ed and Al were situated in a 2nd story apartment overlooking the restaurant where Winry was supposed to meet the disguised Aura.  Ed was glued to the window, watching and waiting for the girls to come into view.  Al looked at him and was reminded of when Aura would look out her window at home.  _It's almost laughable how similar those two are,_ he thought to himself.  
  
"Something went wrong, I know it, they haven't shown up yet!" Ed grumbled, getting more impatient.  Al watched from the other window, staying considerably calmer than his older brother.  
  
"It's okay brother, if something was wrong, it would have been relayed to us, right Hawkeye?" Al said to Ed, looking at Riza to help back him up.  
  
"Yes, if the plan had gone south I would have heard about it by now.  Just be patient, Fullmetal."  Riza was wondering herself why the girls hadn't made it to the designated spot yet, but her worries quickly faded as they came into view moments later.  From their viewpoint, it was nearly impossible to think that the lady sitting down to lunch with Winry was anyone but Gracia Hughes.  She was doing a good job of keeping her weak right eye out of view as well.    
  
A voice crackled over the radio that had been installed in their room, "The plan is a go, the plan is a go.  We have a visual, you copy Hawk's Eye?"  Riza picked up the receiver and replied, "Visual confirmed, copy that, plan is a go."  She replaced the receiver and walked over to the window that Edward claimed residence to, at least the bottom half.  "It's all in her hands now."  
  
...  
  
Their lunch was over, and Aura was sad that this part of the operation was already done.  She wasn't looking forward to going back to that apartment alone, but being here with Winry had lifted her spirits a great deal.    
  
As Winry pulled Aura over for a hug, she whispered into her ear, "you can do this Aura, stay strong, we're all here for you."  Aura wished she could just run back with Winry, take her and her brothers and just run far from all this madness.  But she wasn't going to run from this, not from someone who threatened her only family.  Winry's words made her resolve stronger.    
  
Aura smiled and said her goodbyes, and then went back to the Hughes' apartment.  She turned the lights on in each room, and made sure the windows were open and visible from the outside.  She then started on the chores that Gracia had said she did regularly.  Sweeping, dusting, always staying a close distance to the windows.  
  
Several hours had gone by, and nothing out of the ordinary had been detected.  Aura had grown tired of running about the room, and had laid down on the couch.  She must have dozed off for a moment, but was shocked awake by a loud sound from the next room.  She stood up and signaled out the window that something was up in the next room.  A flash of light from the adjacent building was her answer that her warning was received.  She was told to stay back until the tactical team got to the apartment, but they were taking forever.  Aura couldn't stand to think that the culprit was going to get away, so she silently approached the door of the room she heard the noise come from.    
  
...  
  
"Where's the tactical team?  You say she gave the signal, why haven't they stormed the apartment yet?" screamed Riza into the radio, awaiting a response.  
  
"Tactical team is en route.  Target is still inside.  Wait... Aura seems to be engaging the target.  She's approaching the door." the voice on the radio went silent while they were waiting to find out what happened next.  
  
"SHE'S WHAT?!"  Edward was beyond mad, and decided that he was done hiding behind the curtain while his sister was in danger.  He got up and started towards the door. "I've had it, it's bad enough we can't see the Hughes' apartment from here.  I'm going over there, come on Al!"  A gunshot exploded throughout the room, stopping the boys in their tracks.  The doorknob to their apartment had a considerable dent in the middle, which was still smoking.  
  
"Did you just shoot at us, Hawkeye?" said a wide-eyed Edward, "what the hell is wrong with you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to leave, not until the mission has been finished or called off."  
  
"But our sister's over there, how could you just keep us from helping her?!" Edward yelled at her.  
  
"Because I made a promise, and I refuse to break it so easily.  So go sit down and let us finish our mission!" Riza said to the two brothers, now standing between them and the door.  
  
Al pulled Edward away from Hawkeye and walked him over to the window.  "Brother, we have to give them a chance to catch this guy the way they planned.  If we just barge in, they won't get another chance.  And Aura would have done all of this for nothing.  And I imagine she'd be pretty mad."  
  
"That doesn't matter to me, Al!  She's going to get herself hurt going after whoever's there!  We have to protect her!" Ed was nearly in tears, and Al was doing all he could to keep his brother restrained.  Ed was about to use his alchemy to break through the window when the radio crackled on again.    
  
"Sorry...  We lost power there for a moment.  The tactical team has breached the apartment.  All rooms have been checked and cleared.  No sign of the target or Aura!  I repeat, there is no one in the apartment!" was the report that suddenly came through the radio.  Shock appeared on the three faces that heard it.  That shock faded well before they reached the door.  
  
...  
  
Aura reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it.  Just then, the lights flickered and went out in the apartment.  Surprised, she looked back towards the living room.  A dark, hooded figure swung open the door, causing her to lose her balance.  The person then grabbed Aura tightly around the waist and dragged her over to a nearby window, then jumped out onto the fire escape, still holding her.  The man climbed up to the roof and tossed her down in the corner of the roof, her head hitting the ground sharply.  His face hidden from view, he looked at Aura, still dressed as Gracia Hughes, and started laughing.  
  
"Do you really think I would fall for such an obvious ruse?  I knew from the start this was a trap set to catch me.  I knew the real Gracia Hughes had been carted away to safety, with some unfortunate officer dressed up to take her place.  All in an effort to catch whoever wanted that arrogant red-coated bastard dead!"  
  
"You...you watch what you say about my little brother!" said Aura, her head still dizzy after being dropped, her messed up hair covering part of her face.  
  
"What?!  You surely don't mean..."  He leaned over and moved the hair out of her face and was surprised at who he saw.  "Ha!  Now this I didn't expect!  How foolish of them to put you of all people in such a dangerous position, Aura..."  
  
It was weird to hear this stranger call her by name.  Her head was clearing up, and with that, the realization that this man may not be a stranger.  His voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it.  Voices from the military storming up the fire escape were becoming louder, and the hooded man decided it was time to leave.  
  
"Don't make the mistake of thinking that Edward Elric is my main target.  Listen now, and listen closely.  Don't let Pride get in the way of finding me, or this will spiral towards something that even you won't be able to pinpoint.  I'll be waiting, for now the end can truly begin!"  And with that, the man sprinted away, leaping from the edge of the roof and onto the next until he disappeared.    
  
She figured out where she knew that voice before, and when the team got to the roof, they found her with her back against the roof's wall, her arms hugging her legs and head resting on her knees.  Her face showed pure fear and shock.  Even her brother's arrival couldn't shake the numbness that overtook her.  
  
 _That voice..._  
  
 _Lucien._


	21. The Riddle

Everyone returned to Central Command, where they were told to go to the briefing room and wait for Mustang to return.  Aura was still quiet, sitting between Ed and Al, her gaze unfocused and in deep thought.  Her brother's were worried, she hadn't spoken since they had found her on the roof of the apartment building.  
  
"Aura, will you please tell us what happened?  Did they hurt you or threaten you?" asked Edward.    
  
"Mustang's going to want to know what happened up there.  You have to tell him Aura, we need to know so we can organize another plan.  It must've been something bad, but you're safe now Aura, you can tell us." Al tried to do what he could to get through to her, keeping his voice soft and friendly.  
  
As if on cue, Mustang walked into the room and continued to the front.  From there he looked around the room, his eyes finally resting on Aura.  He was surprised at the state she was in.  This girl had nothing but fire and passion to complete this mission mere hours ago.  Now it was all she could do to keep herself together.  What had she seen on that roof?  
  
"Alright, what happened out there?  How did we manage to let this guy escape, and nearly with Aura for crying out loud?!"  
  
One of the officers spoke up.  "Sir, we aren't sure.  The tactical team was ordered to move as soon as the signal was given.  The power failure occurred after that.  We lost contact for a few moments, and when the lights were back on, no one was in the apartment.  That's when they headed to the roof and found Aura.  She was visibly shaken from whatever happened, and still is, sir."  Mustang looked at Aura again, then walked over to her and crouched down to get to her eye-level.    
  
"Aura, listen, I know something happened on that roof to get you this upset.  We can't do anything about it until you tell us what it is though."  Aura's gaze started to focus again, and she looked at Mustang as though she had just woken up from a dream, and said one word.  
  
"Lucien."  
  
It was Edward that reacted first.  "Lucien?!  Your stepfather, Lucien?!  How is that even possible?  He's still back on the other side of the Gate!"  
  
"It was him, Ed.  Somehow he managed to get to this side."  Aura recalled what he had said to her before he ran off, and a shiver ran up her back.  
  
"Who is this Lucien, and why are you both so frantic about him?" asked Mustang, who didn't know much about Aura's life on her side of the Gate.  
  
Ed answered, "Lucien worked with Hohenheim when he was trapped on the other side years ago.  They worked to create an artificial Gate.   When Hohenheim finished it, he destroyed the research and used the Gate without him.  Lucien used Aura and her mother to try to find the research, and when he couldn't, he killed Aura's mother and abused Aura.  He tried to kill us when we found the lab where the Gate was.  Aura saved me from his attack, and we left him beaten in the lab when we went through the Gate.  He must have found some way to open the Gate again."  
  
"But why would this guy want to target you, Fullmetal?"  
  
"Ed's not his target," Aura said suddenly, "He told me... not to make the mistake of thinking Ed was his main target.  I know what he's doing now.  Lucien's true target is me.  He knows that Edward is someone I care about, so he wanted to hurt him so I'd suffer.  I imagine once he stole his military records and found out who Ed's father was, he figured out that we were siblings.  He's doing this to take my family away from me again!"    
  
Al put his arm over Aura's shoulder to comfort her, "Hey, we're not going anywhere, sis.  It'll take a lot more than this to take us away from you!"   
  
"Was there anything else that Lucien said, any clues that may help find him?"  Mustang asked.  
  
"He left me with some kind of riddle.  He told me to listen closely and then he said 'Don't let Pride get in the way of finding me, or this will spiral towards something that even you won't be able to pinpoint.  I'll be waiting, for now the end can truly begin!'  After that he took off."  
  
"Hmm, that is quite the riddle.  He said that he'll be waiting, so it sounds like he gave us enough information to find him in those words.  Come on people, get your brains together and let's figure this out!" Mustang yelled to the other people in the room.  His unit was seated closest, and some of them were already trying to work it out.  
  
"When he said 'pinpoint', that sounds like something that would involve a map, wouldn't it?" said Fuery, who jumped up from the table and left the room.  He returned with a map of Central City and the outlying areas.  
  
"What would we need to pinpoint on this map though?  He didn't give us any coordinates." said Edward, staring at the map but getting nowhere.  
  
"Yes he did, Fullmetal.  I'm betting the attacks he's been arranging have something to do with this." Mustang said as he went through the file for the case and started arranging papers on the table.  
  
"Okay, the first attack happened here, in the South-West sector of Central," Fuery marked the area of the attack with a circle, "and the next one happened just east of that one."  He placed another circle on the map.  The next attack happened in the South-East section, evenly spaced to the last circled attack.  Each attack moved closer to Central's middle point.  Once they had all the attacks marked on the map, Fuery started to draw lines connecting each one.    
  
"It's a spiral just like that bastard described!" said Edward.  
  
"There's one missing though, this area here should have a circle evenly spaced from the last one." Al said as he looked at the map.  Indeed, the spiral was incomplete in that one area.  
  
"Is there anything important in that area?  Maybe it was a target he had planned to go after but didn't get the chance?" Ed asked, leaning in to see that spot closer.  
  
Mustang answered, "That's near the library, one of the record buildings, the Bradley Mansi..."  His voice trailed off as he realized what Lucien was directing them to.  "The Bradley Mansion...  That has to be it.  'Don't let Pride get in the way of finding me', that's where the last remaining Homunculus, Pride lives!"  
  
"Why would he be waiting for us there?"  Ed wondered.  
  
"He used the name Pride specifically, so he must have some basic knowledge of what the homunculi are.  There were reports about them in your military records, Fullmetal.  But Pride, err... Selim Bradley hasn't shown any signs of his former powers.  He's grown to be a normal, innocent boy." Mustang was growing concerned now.  
  
"Perhaps Lucien isn't aware of that fact, and thinks he still holds some kind of power that he wants to use." said Edward.  
  
"Whatever the reason, there are innocent people there that we need to protect.  Get ready to move out as soon as possible."  Mustang started to bark out orders to different units.  While he was doing that, Edward decided to talk to Aura.  
  
"Aura, I think it'd be best if you stay here during this mission.  You've done more than enough already.  And considering the state you were in earlier, you're not prepared to face Lucien again.  I don't blame you, he hurt you really bad back then.  So just stay here, and we'll take him down for you."  
  
Aura's gaze fell to her brother, and she gave him a cold stare.  "I'm not staying behind.  He only caught me off-guard when I saw him on the roof.  I'm okay now, I promise.  I told you then that I refuse to run and hide from him anymore, don't you dare make me go back to hiding in a corner now!"  
  
Mustang saw what was going on and decided to speak.  "Aura, listen to your brothers and stay here.  We have more than enough manpower to catch him.  And if you are his intended target, it's best if you weren't there for him to find."  
  
"NO!  I will NOT sit by and let you all risk yourselves for something that is my responsibility!"  Aura shouted, her emotions no longer held back.  "That man wouldn't have hurt anyone if it hadn't been for me, this is my fault, and my duty to make right.  I refuse to let anyone else suffer for my sake!"  
  
Ed and Al looked at each other, they recalled the moment when they had said the same thing during their journey to recover their bodies.  When they swore no more innocent people would be hurt due to their sin.  There was no mistaking it, Aura was truly their sister.  It didn't change the fact that they didn't want her in harm's way again.  They looked to Mustang, who understood what they wanted him to do.  
  
"Aura, as of this moment, I am ordering you to stay in this Command building until further notice.  Captain Falman, please escort Aura to the officer's lounge and make sure she doesn't leave these premises."  
  
"What?!  No, you can't do this!  Ed!  Al!  Make them stop, I can't be locked away!  Not again!"  Aura screamed out as Falman led her out of the room, partially by force.  Mustang started to walk out of the room, stopped next to Edward and peered down at him.  "You owe me for that, Fullmetal.  But you owe your sister much more once this is all over.  I can only hope she'll forgive you."  
  
"I owe her so much already, Mustang.  Protecting her from facing the one person she fears most, even though she hates being locked away, is one small way I can start paying her back for all that she's done for me.  She doesn't need to suffer anymore because of that evil bastard.  She deserves to have peace of mind, knowing he'll never harm her again.  That's what we're going to do, for her."   
  
...  
  
The military was nearly ready to move on the Bradley Mansion.  Ed and Al decided to speak to Aura before they leave, hoping she calmed down so they can leave on better terms.  As they approached the officer's lounge they noticed the air grow colder.  _Looks like Aura's at it again,_ thought Ed as they walked into the lounge.  They found Captain Falman on the floor, frozen stiff.  
  
"Captain!  What happened to you!  Here, let's get him warmed up Ed!" cried Al as they picked up the shivering officer and brought him over to the couch.  Falman started to regain movement in his arms and legs again, and started to warm up quickly after that.  
  
"Yo-your sister fr-fr-froze me!  I was jus-just doing what I was t-t-told and she said that she was sorry, and before I knew it, I was laying on the floor, ice c-cold and unable to move!"  
  
"I wasn't even aware she was capable of doing that, we're sorry Falman.  Did you happen to notice where she went?" said Al, hoping that she hadn't gone far.  
  
"She...she went in the direction of the supply bay."  
  
"Shit, she's gonna try to go to face Lucien on her own!  Come on Al, we can't wait for Mustang now, we have to go get Aura!  Falman, let Mustang know what's going on.  Thanks!"  The brothers ran out of the room, and continued running until they were out of Central Command and on their way to the Bradley Mansion. 


	22. The Guests Arrive

"I can't believe they expected me to just sit there while they face Lucien on their own!" exclaimed Aura as she ran through the street, heading towards the mansion where they suspected Lucien to be hiding.  "I kinda feel bad about that guy I froze, but at least he'll unthaw quickly!"  
  
She kept running and turned down a side street she remembered on the map they used to figure out Lucien's riddle.  With the next corner she turned she saw the mansion.  She wondered what was so special about this particular building, or the person inside it that everyone believed was Lucien's target.  The last remaining homunculus, Pride, lived there.  But they also said that he no longer showed any power either.  _What could Lucien want with someone like that?_  
  
The front of the building looked unguarded, but Aura stayed out of sight and ran against the side wall to avoid being seen.  She made her way to the front steps and tried the front door, which surprisingly was unlocked.  She slipped inside and looked around at her surroundings.  The living room she came into was quite large, but no one occupied it.  She followed the hallway and began looking in the rooms that connected to it.  _Maybe I'm being too careless... but if Lucien's here, I need to find him.  His plot to destroy my family ends here!_  
  
As she made her way to down the corridor, she heard a noise coming from one of the rooms up ahead.  She reached for the doorknob and opened it slowly.  What she found in that room she didn't expect.  
  
"Fa-Father?!" said a surprised Aura, who stared at an equally surprised Hohenheim.    
  
"Aura, is that really you?  Oh I'm so glad that you're alright.  But... what happened to your arm and leg?  And your eye?  Don't tell me, it was the toll when you went through the Gate, wasn't it...  I tried to call Edward back, once I saw that he had you with him.  I'm so sorry this happened to you Aura.  But you really shouldn't be here, it's not safe."  
  
"I'm getting really tired of people telling me where I shouldn't be.  And yes, this was the price I had to pay when I was brought through the Gate.  The eye was a farewell gift from Lucien."  She formed a fist with her automail hand and stared at it for a moment.  "But I'm not here to talk about the past, I'm here to make sure my family has a future!"  
  
"Aura...  I'm sorry I missed you growing into the woman you are now.  Please, give me the chance to be a father and protect you from the danger that resides here."  Hohenheim tried to move towards Aura, but as he did she could see there was some kind of binding seal placed around him that made it impossible for him to move.  
  
"How can you protect me when you can't even get out of that bind?"  She walked over to him and studied the seal closely.  Her father grew nervous, he didn't want her to end up bound by this alchemy either.  But before he could warn her, she placed a hand on the seal.  It glowed a bright purple before shattering, the binding ties falling away from Hohenheim and disappearing.  
  
"What did you do?  How were you able to dissolve that seal?  Have you been learning alchemy from Edward and Al?"  
  
"From my brothers, you mean?  No, I have no idea how I do it.  But I recently found out that it may be because of something you left me, father.  An inheritance of sorts."  
  
"But that can't be possible.  Ed and Al... They were never affected by what I truly am.  I was afraid for a long time that they might, but they never showed any signs of it."  Hohenheim looked at his daughter, and wondered if it was really true.  Had she had inherited a portion of his Philosopher's Stone?  
  
"Apparently they weren't affected because you and their mother were Amestrian.  Since you met my mother on my side, things were different with me.  It never showed since there was no alchemy on that side.  But once I crossed through the Gate and saw the Truth, whatever it was that had laid dormant within me woke up.  I even kinda broke my Portal, it has all these purple lightning-shaped cracks in it.  To be honest it looks a lot cooler than Ed's Gate now..."    
  
"I was afraid something might happen if you went through the Gate.  I suppose my instincts were right, considering what happened.  But we have to get you out of here."  
  
"And I told you, I'm not leaving without taking care of the threat to my family!  Speaking of which, how did you and Lucien even get here anyway?"  She was getting angry with her father for keeping her from pursuing Lucien, but she had to find out how they got back.  
  
"I...He forced me to open the Gate again.  I refused at first, but after several months he managed to convince me to do it.  I guess a part of me thought that once we were back on this side, I'd be able to stop him with my alchemy."  
  
"So I take it that plan didn't work out too well for you?  What did he end up having taken for his toll?"  
  
"Nothing was taken from him, he used me as his toll.  That's where it gets strange.  Normally when people see the Truth, the toll costs them something.  But when he returned from seeing Truth, he had been _given_ something.  He absorbed the lingering power of the homunculus known as Lust.  I suppose once a homunculus is killed they return to the Gate where "Father" originally came from.  Sensing the evil in Lucien, Lust's essence must have been attracted to him and latched on somehow.  Once we got through the Gate, he overpowered me.  I was weak from the battle with Father weeks before, and I was still recovering.  He kept me bound and used me for information.  He only just recently brought me to this building.  He said that he was reaching the Endgame.  This is why it's too dangerous for you to be here Aura, he wants to destroy everyone you care about, that's his Endgame!"  
  
"I'M TIRED OF RUNNING!  You have no idea what kind of Hell he put Mom and me through while you were gone.  I wished for you to return and fix our family, but you never did!  He killed her while you were away, did you know that!  He treated me like his personal punching bag on a regular basis.  And still, I believed that one day you would come back to fix things.  I understand now, why Edward resents you so much...  But I'm not going to run away like you did, I'm going to stand my ground and protect them all."  
  
"Aura... I know that there's no way to make up for not being there when you needed me.  And I'm sorry that your mother is gone.  I was torn between two worlds, child, and at the time I felt I was protecting the one that needed saving the most.  I regret that I couldn't protect the family I had in your world.  But please, give me the chance to do that now.  Lucien intends to bond with Pride, once he does that, he'll have the ability to create portals.  With that, he'll have enough power to destroy this world.  If you won't leave, let me help you stop him."    
  
"Okay, but we should hurry, my brothers and the rest of the military aren't too far behind us.  Where do you think Lucien is hiding?"  
  
"He's going to want a lot of room if his plan involved fighting.  We don't have to worry about guards, he wanted all of you here, so having them isn't necessary."  He started to walk out of the room, and Aura followed next to him.  She stole quick glances at her father, remembering the face she had last seen when she was a small girl.  They continued through the mansion, taking a flight of stairs down to the lower level.  There they found a set of double doors that seemed unusually decorated compared to the rest of the place.  They opened the doors to reveal an expansive ballroom.  The ceiling was raised and the floor cleared of any tables and chairs that would normally occupy the space during a ball or party.  
  
"Do you think this would be a large enough room for him to want to use?"  Aura looked left, noticing that end of the room had a raised stage, while the other end had several steps leading down to a floor that was lower than the main ballroom floor.  Another doorway was at the end of the room there as well.  She figured it was used for servers or musicians.  Suddenly, the overhead lights came on, temporarily blinding them.  
  
"Well look who's here to crash the party!  It's quite rude to show up before all the guests arrive.  And to bring someone that isn't even on the guest list, that's just poor manners Aura.  I thought I raised you better than that."  The voice she knew too well echoed through the room behind them, and before she could move, Lucien grabbed Hohenheim and threw him across the floor.  He sent out jagged black spears that pierced his shoulders and thrust him against the side wall.  The spears unattached from Lucien and wound themselves around Hohenheim, strapping him to the wall.  
  
"Stop it!!  You're hurting him!" cried Aura, watching as her father cried out in pain.  
  
"That's the idea, darling.  I want him to know the pain of having your life's work torn from you just as it was almost finished!  Considering he's a Philosopher's Stone, he'll live through this pain for a very long time.  I may even let you live to watch him writhe, along with your little brothers.  I bet they'll scream for mercy..."  
  
"I don't think so!" she yelled back and reached out her arms and let out an ice blast like the one she used on Falman.  Lucien put his arms up to guard and was pushed back several feet.  She followed it up with several force field blasts that pushed Lucien further down the room, til he was near the stage.  
  
"Those powers you have, they're rather unique compared to the alchemy I've seen performed here, you're not even using transmutation circles or clapping.  I also heard you're capable of healing injuries as well.  How are you doing that?"  
  
"Just a gift from dear old Dad!  Now come on, you wanted a fight, let's go!"  She used a temperature change to superheat the air around Lucien, then dropped it quickly to create fog through half the room.  Aura was about to move to fight when she heard voices behind her.  
  
"Aura!  Stop, don't go near him!" screamed Edward as he and Al entered through the door at the far end of the room.  
  
"Well, well, if it isn't the red-coated bastard himself.  It's been awhile, but I'm sure you remember me." said Lucien, who walked out from the fog to face the three siblings before him.  
  
"Yeah, you're the coward that likes to hurt women.  But that ends here, whatever you're planning isn't going to work!" Edward yelled back.  
  
"Oh but I think my plan is moving along quite nicely.  All the guests have arrived, now to make sure we aren't disturbed."  He clapped his hands together, and touched the floor, sending ripples to each set of doors.  Sparks ran up the doors, and they melted the doors shut, sealing them all inside.  
  
"Now, let's start the party shall we?"


	23. The Endgame

"He can use alchemy like we can!" said Edward to Al as they stepped away from the sparking ripples that Lucien had sent towards them.  
  
"He also has Lust's power as well, watch out!" shouted Hohenheim, pinned to the wall by some of those same spears.  
  
"Oh great, as if this guy wasn't enough of a jerk without alchemy..." Ed whined as they ran over to where Aura was standing.  "What were you thinking Aura?!  We told you it was too dangerous here and to let us take care of him!"  
  
"I couldn't just sit by while the only family I have left goes off to face someone who wants them dead to hurt me!  I'd rather face him directly than let you two get caught in the middle!"   
  
"This isn't just your burden Aura, you don't have to shoulder this all on yourself.  If he's a threat to this family, then let us do something about it too!" Al said as he looked around the room, and noticed Hohenheim on the side wall.  "Dad?!  What happened to you?"  
  
"He wasn't on the guest list, I'll take care of him though."  Lucien sent out spears that surrounded the wall Hohenheim was on, then pushed them through, causing the bound Hohenheim to fall through it and out of the room.  He clapped again and sealed the hole with surrounding debris.   
  
"So you're the other brother I take it, the one that got trapped in the armor because your big brother couldn't stand to be all by himself?"  Lucien stared at Al, then at Aura.  "That seems to be a common theme for your family Aura, losing the ones you love, destined to be alone?"    
  
"You just shut your mouth Lucien, this stops here!  Whatever you have planned isn't going to work, so just give up!" Aura shouted out at her stepfather.  
  
"But the party's just getting started!  Why would I want to cut it so short now?  Besides, you haven't seen the final guest yet."  He walked towards the main stage, went up the steps and walked to the side of the stage.  There was something they had overlooked until now.  They realized that it was a small child, no older than five.  Lucien stood him up and walked him over to the front of the stage.  The boy was small, with short black hair and a strange mark on his forehead.  Aura was the only one that didn't recognize him, although she figured out who he was quickly.  
  
"It's Selim!  He's going to try to take his power, we have to stop him!" said Edward as they ran towards the stage.  They were halfway across the room when Lucien clapped his hands together and grabbed Selim's forehead and chest.  Light suddenly appeared around the two of them, as Selim cried out.  The boy started to fade away, his essence being absorbed by the man next to him.  The light faded as it was revealed that Lucien was alone on the stage.    
  
"He absorbed Pride like he must have done that Lust creature in the Gate." Aura told her brothers, who hadn't known about him gaining Lust's abilities until they arrived in the ballroom.  "What was Pride capable of doing that Lucien would want his power for?" she asked them.  
  
"Pride could manipulate the shadows around him.  And apparently Pride had developed the ability to create portals, like the one me and Hohenheim went through.  We can't allow him to create any portals, he could destroy not just Amestris, but other worlds!"  
  
The three of them moved towards Lucien, who had jumped down from the stage.  The brothers attacked first, and he blocked their attacks with the shadows nearby.  Edward quickly formed a wall from the ground to block them from a massive shadow that Lucien sent their way.  The boys were pinned down behind the wall, but Aura was still free, and she was able to dodge Lucien's attacks easily.  She blocked one shadow with her automail, the razor-like edge damaging the metal.  She jumped out of the way of more shadows, and nearly got close enough to hit Lucien before she noticed that the wall protecting Ed and Al was being destroyed by Lucien's spear attacks.  _He can use both attacks and direct them separately?!  This can't be good!_ she thought as she jumped away from Lucien, staying to the left side of the room, while the boys were stuck against the right.  
  
"Rebuild that wall, I'll get his attention!" she yelled over to them as she made her move to go after Lucien again.  She saw one of Lucien's spears thrust through the wall, tearing into Al's shoulder before withdrawing back towards Lucien.  
  
"Al!  No!" cried Aura as she watched Ed catch Al to keep him from falling.  Suddenly, Aura saw the same jagged spears rush towards her.  Two blades caught her just above her heart and her right side.  She felt herself being lifted up into the air.  He stopped his attack on her brothers to focus on her.    
  
"Really now, being caught with the same move twice is just pathetic Aura.  Maybe this time, you'll stay dead!"  He flung her backwards to the end of the room, rolling down the steps before coming to a rest in the lower section.  She could hear her brother's voices screaming her name, but she just couldn't move.  
  
 _I failed them, I found my family, I couldn't protect them.  After all they did to help me get past the pain and loneliness._   She felt herself fading away, her mind started to replay memories of when she first arrived in Amestris.  When she first found out she had family on this side.  Her struggle to get through the automail surgery, where she had her brothers for support.  She thought about how they had been there to help her move forward whenever she needed it most.  And now, they were in need of help.    
  
The last bit of strength she had was leaving her, but the thought of her family needing her sent a rush through her system.  She felt a jolt of energy swelling up around her heart.  She felt herself getting stronger again.  She was suddenly aware of everything her powers were capable of, and as she sat up, she could feel herself healing the wounds in her chest and side.  
  
Edward was fighting off Lucien's attacks while trying to protect Al, who was leaning against a stone pillar, attacking when he could in his injured state.  Ed's face had several cuts from Lucien's attacks, and his automail was nearly destroyed as well.  He made four walls and pulled Al towards the furthest one, near the back of the room.  Lucien walked forward continuing his attack, swiping away the first two walls easily.  He destroyed the third wall just as Ed and Al got behind the fourth.  Al stumbled and fell, causing Ed to lose his balance and fall as well.  The fourth wall disappeared as the two were left defenseless against Lucien.  
  
"It's really too bad that she had to die first, I really wanted her to see this."  He sent out several shadows and spears out towards Ed and Al, and all they could do was put their arms up and try to block the attack.  Their eyes closed while they waited for the attack to hit.    
  
They heard a clap echo through the room, and they opened their eyes just in time to see the shadows and spears stop right in front of them.  The ends pierced through what appeared to be a metal wall.  But it almost looked like...liquid.  They looked left there was Aura, crouched down, holding her automail up towards them.  
  
"She transmuted her automail into some kind of liquid-metal shield!  There's no way she could be creating this much with only the metal in her arm though, it's not a normal transmutation!"  Ed spoke as he and Al stared in shock.  She didn't look injured at all, even though the holes where she had been stabbed were still there.  
  
Lucien looked shocked, he didn't expect his attack to be blocked like that.  "Dammit, why can't you just give up and die!" he yelled at her as he attempted to withdraw his weapons from the shield, but they were stuck.  
  
Aura stared at Lucien as she pulled the shield towards her, trapping the shadows and spears within the metal, and likewise, keeping Lucien from moving.  "I don't remember saying I was finished with you yet, Lucien."  She flowed the liquid metal back towards her as her arm returned to normal.  Only her automail hand stayed fluid, holding tight to her stepfather's lethal weapons.  As she walked towards him, her arm acted as a reel pulling Lucien towards her, until they were face to face.  She then let go of him and began fighting.  He was stunned and wasn't defending himself very well.  
  
"Ed, make another wall and stay behind it!" she shouted as she lifted up Lucien with her automail arm, and held her right hand up and out to the side.  A dim light began forming at her fingertips that began to glow brighter.  He struggled to break free but Aura held him tight.  
  
"What is she doing Ed?  Where's all that light coming from?" said Al, who was leaning against the back of the wall that Ed just created.  
  
"She's making what looks like...sunlight.  She's shining it on Lucien.  She's trying to drive Pride out of his body, he can't maintain his shadows with that much light hitting him!"  He was amazed at what his sister was doing, he had to get behind the wall as the light was getting too bright for even him to keep watching.  
  
Lucien was writhing now, fighting against the light, but Aura couldn't be moved.  Her plan was working.  The power that he had stolen from the boy was escaping, until he broke away from Lucien and fell to the floor.  She put out the sunlight and looked at Lucien, who was barely able to keep himself standing.  She bound him and dropped him to the floor and then checked on the boy, who seemed to be unconscious but unharmed.  
  
Ed came out from behind the wall, followed by Al.  "Are you alright Aura?  We saw him stab you, we were so scared that you were..."  
  
"Shh... come here Al, let me see your arm." Aura said calmly as she walked over to Al, and held his injured shoulder in her hands.  She healed his wound, but not weakening like she did when she first healed Ed.  She moved on to Ed, healing the cuts on his face.  "I think you guys are alright now.  Sorry Ed, but Winry's gonna have to fix the arm.  Again"    
  
"Aura, changing your automail into liquid metal, natural sunlight in the palm of your hand, healing us without losing your own health?  What's going on wi..."  The realization hit Edward suddenly, almost painfully.  "Oh.  You have control of it now, don't you?  Your philosopher's stone."  
  
"Yes.  I'm aware of everything I'm capable of now.  It just came on suddenly as I was laying there.  Whatever caused it, I'm glad it happened, just in time to save you guys."  
  
"Well you can't be going around using it like that, even the stone gets depleted after it's overused.  And if that happens..."    
  
"Don't worry brother, that won't happen."  Aura told him as she walked towards the center of the room.  She waved her hands out in front of her and the rubble and debris cleared away, leaving a smooth circular section of the floor exposed.  She put her hands out again, and a circle began to form on the floor, similar to a human transmutation circle, but altered slightly.    
  
"What are you making Aura?  You know what that is don't you?  What are you planning to do?"  
  
"I have to go back, Ed.  It's too dangerous for me to stay here with this kind of power.  And Lucien has to pay for his crimes."  
  
"Well just start up the circle and throw him in, problem solved.  You don't have to go anywhere.  And what's this about it being too dangerous?  You're not going to hurt anyone." Ed told his sister.  
  
"I have to go back to make sure he's arrested, they won't have proof without me there as a witness.  I remember back when I first tried to kill him.  You stopped me from doing it.  I said that my mother deserved vengeance then.  But now, I realize that vengeance and justice aren't terms to be used interchangeably.  I have to be there to make sure my mother gets the justice she deserves, Ed.  And as far as my power goes...  It's already fallen into the wrong hands once.  This power is too great, and there will always be someone that will want it for themselves.  If I go back, it won't exist anymore, and the threat will vanish."  
  
"But we just found you!  It's not fair!  To hell with anyone who wants to threaten you or us.  We'll bring them down just like every other bad guy!  You don't deserve this, Aura.  This is your home now."  Edward was holding his emotions in as best he could, but he wasn't sure for how much longer.  
  
"It may not be fair, but it's necessary.  Please don't make this harder than it already is, brother..."  Aura's voice echoed the tears that began falling down her face.  She had finished her circle, and picked up Lucien and dropped him in the middle.  Edward was still in her way, trying to talk her out of leaving.  She walked up to Al and gave him a hug.  "You take care of him, Al.  He's going to need you, so stay strong for the both of us, okay?  I love you brother."  Al nodded, his tears already falling.    
  
She walked back to Ed and pulled him away from the circle he was trying to break.  "Ed, I'm going to miss you the most.  You always talk about how I saved you when you were in my world.  But I never got to tell you how you saved me as well.  I wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't sat down to rest at that cafe table.  You're the best thing that ever happened to me, brother, and I'll never forget that.  I love you, Ed."  She pulled him in for a hug, and his tears fell onto her shoulder, as hers fell onto his.  
  
Aura let go of him, as Al held Ed by putting an arm around his shoulder.  She walked into the circle and raised her hands, clapped, and hit the circle on the floor.  Ed struggled against Al to go after Aura, but he held on, staying strong for the both of them, like Aura had asked.  Purplish light enveloped the two of them, the Gate opened up and she went through it.  The light faded and they were gone.  Al let go of Ed, who fell to his knees and cried out for his sister.  
  
"Wait, she left the circle behind!  We can go back for her, if we hurry and..."  The floor where the circle lay began to crack and splinter, before breaking apart completely.  
  
"She wrote it to be self-destructing...  That's what was different about it."  Al said to himself as Edward's last hope of going back for her broke apart in front of him.  
  
Edward sat there on his knees for some time.  He looked over to Al, who had been standing by, giving his brother some space.  
  
"Al?  How long do you suppose a court trial takes?  6 months?  Well, Aura has a 6 month head start before we go back to get her."  
  
"But Ed, we don't have any way to get back there."  
  
"We have 6 months to get it worked out, brother.  Let's get moving."


	24. The Cafe (Again?)

Aura looked out at the patio where her customers sat, chatting with their companions quietly and enjoying their food and drinks.  She smiled as her eyes came to rest on the table where she first met her brother Edward.  _Has it really been over two years since we first met here?_   She couldn't believe it.  It hurt terribly at first to leave them behind, and still did, but she managed to get by telling herself that her family was safe.  
  
"Aura, dear, could I get a refill on my coffee?" said Ella, one of her regular customers, as Aura snapped out of her daydream and went over to her table.  She limped slightly, and despite it being warm weather, she was wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirt.    
  
"You should have a doctor take a look at your right leg soon, you poor thing, that limp looks so painful!" Ella told her as Aura poured her more coffee.  
  
"I'll look into making an appointment soon, Ms. Ella.  How are your boys doing?"  
  
"Oh you know, boys will be boys.  One minute they're at each others throats, the next they're best friends.  And don't tell me you'll look into it.  You told me that last time I mentioned it.  At least come up with something new to say if you're going to ignore my sage-like advice, dear." Ella told Aura, smiling and giving her a sarcastic look.  
  
"Yeah, boys will be boys," Aura said as she thought of her brothers, who fit Ella's description well. "I will get it checked out soon, I've just had a lot on my mind lately."  
  
"I understand, that trial must have been hard on you.  But at least that monster won't be seeing the free side of a prison wall anytime soon, if ever.  But you have to think about taking care of yourself now, dear.  For instance, getting some new clothes, all I ever see you in are these long sleeves and pants.  It's far too warm to be wearing such heavy clothes, I may faint just by watching you limp around here!"  
  
"I'll look into that too, Ms. Ella, although I believe your wit may cut through my sleeves before I have a chance to buy anything new." Aura smiled.  She did walk with a limp, but she couldn't let a doctor look at her leg and see the automail that was in desperate need of maintenance.  And she wouldn't know how to explain it if she went to a mechanic.  
  
"Well it's always a pleasure to nag at you Aura, you take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of your day!" Ella said as she stood up from her table and went on her way.  Aura thanked her and cleared her table, bringing the dirty dishes inside.  The cafe was almost closed, so she started cleaning up.  She heard footsteps on the patio, followed by chairs being pulled out.  
  
"So, what do we have to transmute to get a soda around here?"    
  
She turned around to see her brothers, Ed and Al, sitting at the same table Ed had been when she first spoke to him.  Shock held her in place for a moment, but only for a moment.  She blinked away tears as she ran towards them, yelling their names as they stood up to greet her.  She slammed into them and pulled them together for a big hug, sobbing as she hugged each of them separately.  When she calmed down and had her tears under control, they all sat down at the table.  
  
"How in the world did you guys get here?  Don't tell me you got into trouble and were thrown through a portal again, Ed..." Aura asked.  
  
"No!  Why does everyone think I always get into trouble?  Anyway, we found a way to make a temporary gateway here.  So have you finished with the trial?  Is Lucien locked up for good?"  
  
"Yeah the trial's over, fortunately it wasn't hard to prove him guilty.  They found several illegal activities during a search of his lab that made the original murder and abuse cases even stronger against him.  He'll be locked away for a very long time.  You guys must be thirsty, let me get something to drink!" Aura went to the cafe building, limping as she went, which got the boy's attention.  
  
She returned with three sodas and some snacks.  They dug into the food and drinks, and Aura laughed as she watched them pig out.  After they were done, they talked more about the details of the trial.  She told them that she felt her mother got the justice she deserved.  
  
"You're limping pretty badly Aura, is your automail broken?" Al asked.  
  
"It's not really broken, I just need a little bit of maintenance done on it.  I don't know whether to go to a doctor or mechanic.  I'm also worried they'll question where I got it and I didn't want to let anyone know about Amestris.  But I get by just fine, it doesn't hurt or anything."  
  
"That's no good Aura, you need to keep up your maintenance.  And I'm guessing you've been hiding your arm and leg with your clothes for the same reason, to avoid questions?" said Edward.  
  
"You're a fine one to talk about maintenance Ed, as much as Winry gets on your case about keeping yours maintained.  How is she doing, by the way?  I've really missed talking to her."  
  
"Well, she's one of the reasons why we're here.  She needs you, Aura.  Apparently you're the only person she wants as her maid of honor.  She said if you don't come back with us, that we can just forget about her marrying Ed...oops, I said too much!" Al said, covering his mouth even though the surprise had already been sprung.  
  
"Marry...Ed?  You guys are GETTING MARRIED?!!" Aura yelled.  
  
Ed gave Al an evil glare, then turned to Aura looking a little embarrassed, "Yeah, after everything that went on, it made me think about how important family is.  And I just guess that...with Winry..."  
  
"You don't have to say it Ed, I knew all along that you guys were sweet on each other.  I'm just happy you guys finally realized what we all knew!"  
  
"Yeah...well anyway, she wanted you to be her maid of honor.  And besides, you belong there with us Aura.  It's just not the same without you." Edward told her, his eyes looking sad, like hers whenever she thought of her family.  
  
"I know the feeling.  I'm just...  I still remember what it was like to have all that power concentrated within me.  It was scary, Ed.  I'm not sure how to handle it if I went back.  But honestly, I've missed you guys so much.  I know I said that just knowing you guys were safe would make staying here alone worth it.  The pain of missing you all, I wasn't expecting it to hurt so much."  
  
"Well come home then, you don't have to be sad or hurt anymore, sis.  You don't have anything keeping your here, do you?" asked Al.  Just then, someone walked out of the cafe building, and Ed and Al both jumped back, surprised.  
  
"I finished cleaning up the kitchen, I'll take care of the rest of the customers while you finish what you're doing." said a red-headed girl about Aura's age.  
  
"Thanks, Wendy, you're the best!" Aura turned back to her brothers, who were still staring at Wendy.  
  
"Aura... that girl, she looks just like Winry!" said Ed, surprised to say the least.  
  
"Oh Wendy?  Yeah, she moved here a few months ago.  She does look a lot like Winry, doesn't she?  It's been kinda comforting being around her, although she can't tell the difference between a wrench and a cake server to save her life.  I've actually seen several counterparts to people I knew from Amestris around.  It shocks me at first, but then I get used to it."  
  
"Well, I'll have to let Winry know that she wouldn't look too bad as a red-head.  So will you come back with us?" asked Ed.  
  
Aura thought about it.  Should she take the chance of her power falling into the wrong hands just to be happy with her family?  She knew how painful it was to be separated from them, and seeing them now made that pain go away.  She didn't think she could take it again if she let them leave without her.    
  
With tears in her eyes, she said "Of course I'll come home.  It's not every day a girl gets to be in her little brother's wedding!"  
  
"I'M NOT A SUPER-MICROSCOPIC GROOM ON TOP OF A GIGANTIC WEDDING CAKE!  AND YOU'RE _MY_ LITTLE SISTER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"  
  
"Whatever you say, Ed, so how long will the gateway stay open?  Will I have time to get some of my things?"  
  
"Well, the gateway is being held open by Hohenheim.  He claims that his philosophers stone can keep it open as long as it takes to bring you back home, but I'm not sure how much he has left, so we may not want to take too long." Al told her as they stood up from the table.  
  
Aura thought about her father, and how she wanted to see him again, and tell him she was sorry for how harsh she had been with him before the fight in the ballroom.  "You know what, I can't think of anything here that I can't get there, let me just go take care of some things with Wendy and I'll be ready to leave." Aura said as she went find her friend.  
  
"Ed, do you really think Dad can hold out long enough?  He wasn't looking too good when we left." Al said.  
  
"Of course he'll be fine, the old bastard better not even think of giving out until his kids are back home.  I'll kick his ass myself!" Ed replied, his own way of saying that he trusted his old man to get them back.  They managed to work on their relationship as they worked together to find a way to bring Aura home.  They weren't best buddies yet, but they were making progress.  
  
"Okay, I got everything cleared with Wendy, so we can go now." Aura said as she came back.  
  
"Don't you have to tell your boss, that mean grumpy guy?" asked Ed, surprised that he hadn't come out to yell at him by now.  
  
"He doesn't own this place anymore, I own it.  Well, I did until about five minutes ago when I signed it over to Wendy.  I wanted to help people, and since I had access to my mother's insurance money, I decided to buy this place.  We work with the homeless and hungry often.  Now Wendy's going to continue helping them.  My old boss thought it was useless to help others, but I've seen how it's changed the town for the better."  
  
"I've said it before and I'll say it again Aura, you're pretty amazing.  Come on, let's go home." Edward said as he hung his arm over Aura's shoulder on one side, Al on the other.  Aura looked forward to seeing her friends again, and most of all, her father.  They came to the area near the gateway, which was still open, and stopped in front of it.  
  
"See Al, I told you he would be fine.  Last chance Aura, you ready to go home?" said Ed, smiling at his sister.  
  
"More than ready, let's go!" Aura answered back, as they walked through together.  She didn't know what to expect when she got to the other side, but as long as she had her family, she had all she needed to get through anything.


End file.
